Dog Days of Summer
by Caryl2013
Summary: This is a Caryl AU fic. This tells the story of how Carol and Daryl could have met and therefore fallen in love. There will be other characters from the show involved and there will be smut in later chapters, but I'm going ahead and rating it 'M' now. I own nothing from The Walking Dead. Carol/Daryl romance, so don't read if it bothers you. Thanks!
1. Chapter 1

_Hello everyone! This is a Caryl story that I've been working on for a bit and I thought I would finally put it out there to see if it drew any interest. This is obviously AU, but I am still going to try to keep the characters true to how they are on the show. There will be other characters that may pop in from time to time from the show as well. I'm a little nervous because there are a lot of Caryl fics out there and therefore lots of competition. I'm hoping that you all like it though and don't be afraid to tell me if you don't. The first chapter is a little short as I'm trying to lay all of the ground work for later chapters so bear with me! Well I guess that's all I need to say for now. The story should pretty much speak for itself so let me know what you think, PLEASE. _

_*I Do Not Own Any Of The Characters From The Walking Dead Nor Do I Make Any Money Off Of Anything I Write. _

_*If Caryl is not your thing, then please don't read. To each their own ship and this is the ship I have chosen so please be kind in that respect. Thanks!_

* * *

Daryl carried the last of his boxes through the open doorway of the new house and paused to look around again. Well, it wasn't exactly _new_, but it was new to him more or less. It was a step up in the world for him. He had exited from the land of the dirt poor to the average. It wasn't a giant leap by any means, but it meant something to him.

He had gotten hired on at the local Dodge dealership working in the automotive department. It had taken him two months before they had moved him up into a supervisor position and he still couldn't believe it. The pay was the best that he had ever had and the benefits and hours were even better. He worked from eight until five in the afternoon and was off on the weekends. He had saved up all of his spare change, eating literally nothing for months until he had saved enough to move out of his shit-hole apartment and into something better.

He had found this relatively decent house that seemed to be in his price range almost by accident. He had heard about the place from one of the employees at the dealership who knew he was looking. Daryl called up the man and the next thing he knew, he was holding the keys in his hand. There was some work that needed to be done to it like finishing and painting the kitchen cabinets, fixing wobbly rails on the porch, and redoing the floor in one of the bathrooms, but it seemed to be in decent shape otherwise. He had worked out a deal with the landlord so that he could get a cheaper rate for fixing the place up too. The neighborhood was actually decent and he didn't have to worry about people trying to break in and steal the only little bit of stuff that he had. In fact, he had almost felt a little out of place as he had pulled his old Ford truck in the driveway.

He didn't have a lot of stuff, but fortunately for him the place had come furnished with the furniture that he needed so he only really needed his clothes. The house had two bedrooms and two bathrooms, with a laundry room located just off of the kitchen. He wasn't used to the luxury of having a washing machine and a dryer in the house. He and his brother had always had to go to the laundromat to do clothes so it would take him some time to get used to that.

His brother Merle was currently spending five years in prison for a drug charge. His brother had been walking a fine line for quite some time and Daryl had known that the day would come when he would get himself into something he couldn't talk his way out of. So far he had only spent half of his sentence and Daryl was worried that he might do something stupid while he was in there that would get it extended. His brother wasn't exactly the easiest person to get along with. In fact, most times he was a genuine asshole, but he was the only family Daryl had so asshole or not, he still loved him.

He sat down on the couch in the living room with a sigh. He had four days off of work due to the Fourth of July holiday and he really didn't know what to do with himself for that amount of time. Truth be told, he had rather be working. He wasn't the type to sit at home and do nothing. If there was something to do, he preferred to be doing it. He had anticipated the moving to take a little longer than it had so far, but surprisingly it appeared that he was done, save for unpacking all of his stuff and putting it away.

He grabbed his keys off of the kitchen counter and headed to his truck. He could at least get some paint and materials to fix up the porch and the wobbly rails while he had nothing else to do. He also needed to pick up some food while he was out because he hadn't really had any to bring over from the old apartment. He walked outside to his truck and started it up, cranking up the radio to the local rock station and headed off down the road.

* * *

Carol Peletier had gone beyond living her life to merely _surviving_ it. When she had first gotten married, things had seemed to be okay and Ed, her husband, had been good to her. She couldn't exactly pinpoint the _day_ that things had changed, but one day they had. It might have been the fact that Ed had started drinking or the fact that he had gained weight. She wasn't really sure what had set him off, but something had. She had always tried to be the good wife that she thought he wanted. She cooked, cleaned, and even had sex with him whenever he wanted.

It started as sarcastic comments here and there about random things like her hair or her weight. Then after a while, the comments turned into insults and the insults turned into physical abuse. The first time he had hit her she hadn't been expecting it at all. She remembered that she had tried to put on something sexy for him for their anniversary as a surprise. She had just reached into the oven to pull out a casserole that she had baked for him when she turned around and he backhanded her. The casserole dish had dropped to the floor and shattered, sending glass and food flying everywhere. He had yelled at her, telling her that she was dressed slutty and that she was too fat to wear clothes that showed off her figure like that. That was the last time that Carol had ever worn anything like that.

As the years passed, she tried to get up the courage to leave him, but every time she tried she would chicken out. She didn't have a job or any money to use to get away from him. Ed was careful never to give her more money than she needed to do the grocery shopping and he always checked the receipts. So she did the only thing she could in order to survive the abuse; she catered to him. She wore herself to the bone trying to please him and keep his temper from flaring. Some days it worked and some days it didn't. Sometimes no matter what she did, Ed wasn't happy. Those were the worst days and she spent hours in the bathroom crying over her bruises while he was at work.

She had become so ashamed of how she looked that she hardly went anywhere except to tend to her flowers by the porch or to do the grocery shopping when Ed gave her permission. Today she had gone outside to water her flowers when she had spotted a blue Ford pickup in the driveway next door. She glanced at it several times, wondering if someone was moving in. The place had been abandoned for a while and she knew that the owner, Hershel Greene, had been thinking about putting it up for rent.

So when the door opened to the house and a man walked outside, she tried not to stare too hard, but she couldn't help herself. The man appeared to be in his thirties with dark hair and a medium build. She drank in the sight of his muscular arms in his sleeveless shirt as he carried in a couple of boxes off of the back of the truck. She was so preoccupied with her staring that she didn't realize that she was watering her porch steps instead of her flowers and she quickly adjusted the spray, hoping that no one had seen her staring.

It had been a long time since she had really paid attention to a man, but the man that walked out of that house begged to be noticed. He wasn't flashy in any way, but he caught her attention all the same. She knew that eventually this would be a problem if he the man didn't have a wife. Some way or another Ed would make her pay for the neighbor moving in. He loved to twist things around and conduct stories just to have an excuse to hit her.

So as good looking as the man was, she knew it wouldn't last long. Ed would find a way to make the man move or scare him off just like he had done with several others over the years. Carol would go back to living the same old boring life, covering up the same old bruises and hoping that the next blow wouldn't be the one that killed her.


	2. Chapter 2

_I am grateful and very appreciative of all of the comments on this story so far. I wanted to get another chapter out for everyone so that we could get a further look into our character's lives so I hope you will enjoy this one as well. Reviews are always appreciated. I would love to hear what you think!_

**_**I do not own The Walking Dead or any of its characters. _**

**_**There are brief mentions of violence in this chapter._**

* * *

Daryl finished sanding the porch and reached into his back pocket for the rag that he kept there. He wiped at his forehead and wondered how hot it was outside. It felt like the sun might sear his skin, but he enjoyed the outdoors so it didn't keep him from finishing the porch. He had bought all of the materials yesterday and had even managed to swing by the grocery store for a few groceries to last him for a bit. He had thought that by getting an early start that he might beat the heat, but that didn't seem to be the case. The moment he had walked out of his front door this morning, his shirt had started clinging to him like a second skin and three hours later, it felt like he had dipped it in water. He finally paused to go inside and get a glass of water, stepping back outside to drink it and cool down a bit. As he finished off his water, he saw a truck drive down the street and pull up behind his in his driveway. He frowned, wondering who could possibly be visiting him already. The door opened to the truck and he saw the man he had rented the place from step out.

Hershel Greene was an older man and Daryl knew that he was married and had two girls, but that's about all he knew about the man. He seemed nice enough from the short amount of time Daryl had spoken with him though. He walked down off of the porch and crossed over to meet Hershel in the yard. He didn't know why the man was here; he didn't owe him any more money yet. Usually the landlords he was used to only made visits when they wanted to collect from his experience. Hershel stuck out his hand and Daryl shook it, nodding at him in greeting.

"Mr. Dixon," Hershel smiled.

"Oh uh, Daryl's fine," He replied.

Hershel nodded, "Alright. Daryl then," He looked over at the porch. "I see you're scraping the old paint off of her. I figured you would still be moving in. I didn't expect to see you doing manual labor right away," Hershel said.

Daryl shrugged, "I ain't had much ta move in an' I got some time off from my job so I figured I'd go ahead an' get started on it," He replied.

Hershel pointed to the two rocking chairs on the porch, "Mind if we sit? My knees aren't as new as they used to be," He chuckled.

Daryl nodded and let the man lead the way to the porch where they sat down in the rockers. It was the first time Daryl had ever sat in them and probably the first time he had ever been in a rocking chair at all really. He could see why people enjoyed it so much though as he rocked back and forth slowly in the chair, gazing out at the street around them. Hershel was quiet next to him and Daryl simply waited in silence to see what the man had to say.

Finally Hershel looked over at him, "I miss this old house. This brings back so many memories," He said.

"Ya used ta live here?" Daryl asked.

Hershel nodded, "Oh yes. This was the first house I ever bought. My wife Josephine, Joe for short, and I lived here until she got pregnant with our second child, Beth. It got a little crowded so I had to find somewhere else for us to live so that's when I bought the farm. I always kept the house though in case the kids ever decided they wanted it. So far though, I think they're more interested in moving a lot farther away from home than the ten miles it takes to get here," Hershel chuckled.

Daryl's lip quirked up slightly in a smile, "That's awfully nice of ya. Our father never gave me an' my brother Merle nothin' like that. Maybe yer kids will come 'round one day," He said.

Hershel waved a hand absentmindedly through the air, "Ah, it doesn't bother me. A house is just a house Daryl. It has lots of memories, but it's not a living thing. Times have changed from what they used to be and the girl's will want something of their own. I'll give it to them too because they always know how to work their old dad," He leaned his head back in the rocker, rocking the chair slowly with his foot. "Me and Joe used to sit on this here porch in these same rockers and rock all through the evening sometimes. It was peaceful out here. There weren't as many people in the neighborhood as there are now."

Daryl tried to envision the picture that the man was painting. He didn't think the neighborhood now was all that crowded at all really, but then again he was used to much more crowded spaces than this growing up. He relaxed a little in his chair, figuring that the man was just being friendly and paying him a visit. It wasn't something that he was used to by any means, but he thought it was a nice gesture.

"Have you met any of the neighbors?" Hershel asked.

Daryl shook his head, "No. I ain't seen nobody over there," He pointed to the right at one of the houses that had no car in the driveway. "An' over here I seen a woman yesterday an' then there was a car in tha driveway last night, but it's gone now."

Hershel frowned as he looked at the house Daryl had pointed to last and then back towards the street, "The first house you pointed to belongs to a man named Jim Hunter. He lives alone but he stays gone most of the time. He's got himself a mechanic shop in town and spends most of his time under the hood of a car there. Good fellow when you ever get the chance to meet him," He said.

Daryl nodded and then looked to the house on the other side of him, "What 'bout them people over there? They good people?"

Hershel sighed and slowly tapped his foot on the floor to rock his chair again, "That house belongs to the Peletiers. Ed and Carol. Carol's a wonderful woman, sweetest thing you could ever want to meet, but Ed? Can't say as I care much for the man. I know that he had himself a job out at one of the old mill's across town, but I don't know that he still has it. I haven't seen them in a while," Hershel paused as if he was considering his next statement. He looked over at Daryl with a serious expression, "If Ed ever gives you any trouble, you let me know you hear? I've got some suspicions from previous tenants that he's a little difficult to get along with," Hershel said.

"I appreciate the head's up, but you ain't gotta worry 'bout me none. I've dealt with difficult people all my life an' I reckon' he can't be too much trouble. My brother's 'bout the most difficult person ya will ever meet an' even he knows ta only push me so far," Daryl said. "Don't get me wrong, I ain't lookin' fer no trouble so as long as he stays on his property, we'll get along jus' fine I reckon'."

Hershel studied Daryl for several moments before nodding, "I had that feeling about you Daryl. I don't just rent to anyone you know. I wasn't even going to rent this place out again for that very reason, but I just hate to see it sit here vacant. A house deteriorates more rapidly when it's empty. It also becomes a target for random acts of vandalism."

"Well there ain't no need ta worry 'bout that. I'll make sure it's taken care of as long as ya let me stay here. I promise not ta cause ya no trouble," Daryl said. He liked it here, and he didn't want Hershel getting the wrong idea about him. He wanted the man to know that he was more than capable of looking after his property while he stayed there, but he also wasn't looking to cause trouble either. It didn't matter one lick to him if he never met the neighbors, but it was nice to have a head's up about the kind of people that they were. He wasn't looking forward to coming across this Ed fellow either, but he would handle it if the situation called for it.

Hershel glanced at his watch and then stood up, "I better be heading on back. Joe will be sitting lunch out and if I'm not there, she'll be calling and checking up on me," Daryl stood and followed the man down the porch steps. Hershel paused by his truck, "Oh, I almost forgot! She wanted me to give this to you. Consider it a housewarming gift," Hershel opened the passenger door of his truck and pulled out a plate covered in aluminum foil. He handed it to Daryl, "That's homemade apple pie right there son and it's the best you'll ever have if I do say so myself. Of course, my opinion may be biased slightly, but I do think you'll enjoy it," Hershel winked at Daryl.

Daryl peeked under the foil and his stomach grumbled as the smell wafted up his nose. It certainly smelled good and he figured he would be digging into it pretty soon. He hadn't realized that it was almost lunch while he had been so preoccupied with his work. He wasn't used to accepting gifts either. It always made him feel awkward, like the person was expecting a gift back.

"Uh, I wish I had somethin' ta give ya in return," Daryl scratched his head.

Hershel waved him away, "It's a gift Daryl. You don't have to give anything in return. That's why they call it a gift and not an exchange," Hershel laughed.

Daryl chuckled, "Well okay then. Thank ya very much for tha pie. I'm sure I'll enjoy it," He said.

Hershel waved as he climbed into the driver's seat of the truck, "Take care of yourself and if you need anything you give us a call!" Hershel waved and started up the truck, backing it out of the driveway.

Daryl waited until he had started down the street and then he turned and began walking back towards the house. He hadn't ever had a housewarming present before, but he was sure he was going to like that too.

* * *

Carol watched from the window as Hershel Greene's truck pulled out of the driveway next door. She had heard the car door slam and she had run to the front to peer out, thinking that Ed was home early. She had been relieved to see that it was only Hershel. She was even more relieved that the man didn't stop over at her house.

It wasn't that she didn't like Hershel because she did. Hershel and his wife Josephine were about the sweetest people in the whole city of Senoia, Georgia. She touched her face, wincing at the sting from the bruise that was forming there. She knew that Hershel meant well, but she didn't feel like seeing him stare at her bruises while she fumbled for another excuse. She didn't like the pity that entered people's eyes as if they knew her situation and they sympathized or something. It made her feel weak and depressed that her life had come to this.

She was like a hermit, hiding away in the shell of their house, trying to avoid everyone. She never used to be that way. When she had first met Ed, she had been open and outgoing. She had enjoyed life and spending time with people. Ed had pretty much beaten her spirit right out of her. She still had a couple of things she enjoyed doing, but nothing like before. She had become a shell of a person, traces of her old self all but buried and gone.

She enjoyed gardening and cooking, but she didn't get as much out of cooking anymore. Cooking was something she only did now because she had too. If it wasn't just right, then she may as well start over because she would surely have to endure Ed's wrath if it wasn't. He didn't tolerate cold food or overcooked food. He had taken away all the enjoyment that she might have gotten out of cooking. She still had her flowers though and Ed for the most part didn't mess with those. People could see those and therefore they were relatively safe. Ed didn't like anyone questioning what went on in his household. He was a firm believer that business between a man and wife stay private. Except he still hit her and people saw the bruises. No matter what excuse Ed made up for why she was bruised, people still knew what went on in the Peletier house.

Her latest bruise was courtesy of their new neighbor. Apparently it was her job to inform Ed whenever someone moved in next door. He had found out late last night when he had walked outside and seen the truck parked in the driveway next door. He had stormed back into the house and demanded to know who had moved in. The most that she could tell him was that it was a man and he appeared to live alone. He had sneered at her and asked her how she knew that the man was alone if she hadn't been over there flaunting herself in front of him. She had tried to tell him that that wasn't the case, that she had only seen the man briefly as she had watered her flowers, but he had hit her anyway.

Her cheek throbbed painfully now, reminding her that the Ibuprofen that she had taken for the swelling was wearing off. She hated taking medicine, but she always kept a supply of Ibuprofen because it reduced inflammation. She walked down the short hallway to the guest bathroom and turned on the light. She grimaced at her reflection staring back at her in the mirror. She wasn't much to look at, her shoulder length hair dull and lifeless and her face pale and plain. Even if she somehow acquired money from somewhere and left Ed tomorrow, she would never find anyone else. No one wanted someone who was broken and scarred. She opened her medicine cabinet and swallowed back her tears as she grabbed two Ibuprofen from the bottle. She placed them in her mouth and filled a small cup with water from the tap to swallow them down. When she was done, she wiped at her eyes and shut off the light, heading back to the kitchen to plan what they would have for dinner.


	3. Chapter 3

_I would like to personally thank each of you for your extremely kind reviews. I had no idea how this story would be received, but it makes me happy that you all seem to like it so far. I'm nervous and I hope that I can keep your attention and keep it interesting for you. _

**_**I do not own The Walking Dead or any of its characters. _**

**_**There is violence in this chapter so if it bothers you, then you may need to skip._**

* * *

Daryl relaxed into one of the rockers on the porch that evening, cracking open a cold beer and enjoying the peace and quiet of the neighborhood. His muscles were sore and he was tired, but it was a good kind of tired. The kind of tired that made you want to stretch out somewhere and take a nap. He felt sated. He had managed to finish sanding the porch and even had the railings fixed. All that awaited it now was a nice, new, fresh coat of paint. He figured he would take care of that tomorrow. Right now he wanted to sit in his rocker and just enjoy the feeling of peace that was surrounding him.

He hadn't had a lot of enjoyment in his life. He had had things that had given him pleasure, but those didn't last. The enjoyment he was feeling now was something deeper, something more. He was enjoying being on his own and not having to worry. If he was honest with himself he was also enjoying not having Merle around yet. All his life he and Merle had always lived together, moving from one shitty place to the next. Daryl kind of felt that he could have done a little better for himself by now if he hadn't had to support his brother throughout so much of his life. He had always been the one to hold down a steady job and always the first to _find_ a job too. Merle had held jobs over the years, but none of them had ever lasted long. It turned out that employers didn't like it when you disappeared for three or four days without a phone call. Daryl felt that if it wasn't for the alcohol and the occasional drugs then Merle might have turned out a little different than the asshole that he was. He could understand why Merle drank and even why he used drugs to a certain degree. Their childhood hadn't been kind to them. Actually it had been downright _cruel_ to them.

Daryl remembered every beating he had ever received in his lifetime. The first one he had gotten when he was about six years old. His old man had backhanded him across the mouth for spilling some milk on the counter while he had been trying to fix himself some cereal. He remembered the metallic taste of his blood filling his mouth as he struggled to clean the mess while the old man stood there glaring down at him. He had been accused of being wasteful and trying to be in too big of a hurry. That was the opening to the violence that he endured most every day until he and Merle finally managed to get away.

Merle hadn't had it any easier. In fact, Daryl knew that he had had it much harder even. Merle was older and his beatings had started far sooner than Daryl's had. Often times his brother would even step in for him and take the blame for something that Daryl had done. Daryl had been forced to watch as Merle received the licks that should have went to him, his brother's face tensing as the belt bit into his skin. It was one of the reasons that Daryl had put up with his shit for so long. He knew his brother meant well, but neither of them had been bred for a life that would make it easy to open up to people. They had gone out into the world, already hardened to a life they hadn't even really lived.

He rested one booted foot against the railing and dug into his pocket for a cigarette. He lit it and blew out a cloud of smoke as a door slammed next door. He glanced in the direction of the house that Hershel had warned him about and saw a man heading in his direction rapidly. Daryl stood and watched him, slowly puffing on his cigarette as he tried to get a feel for the man whom Hershel said had been scaring renters away. The man who Hershel had said was named Ed was overweight with dark hair and an expression that said he was generally an asshole. He clearly hadn't spotted Daryl on the porch yet because it was getting dark out and Daryl hadn't turned on his porch light. He leaned against the railing and watched the man as he crossed around the front of the porch.

"Can I help ya?" Daryl asked.

Ed stopped mid-stride and Daryl saw him look up towards the porch, "Yeah, you can actually. You see, I almost hit your trash can this morning when I left for work. It's pulled too close to my driveway and I would appreciate if you moved it out of the way," He said.

Daryl smirked in the darkness, "Ain't no problem." He said.

Ed nodded, "Good. We all try to get along around here so we aren't looking for anyone who wants to start trouble."

Daryl finished his cigarette and put it out in the ashtray that he had brought outside before slowly making his way down the steps, stopping just in front of Ed. He crossed his arms, "Anythin' else I can help ya with, Ed?"

Ed's eyes widened and he squinted into the darkness, trying to see if he knew Daryl, "How did you know my name? My wife been over here?" He asked.

Daryl shook his head in wonder. This guy was really a piece of work, "Ain't never seen ya wife Ed," He replied.

Ed let out a humph and began to walk back over to his house, "See that ya keep it that way," He called over his shoulder.

"Ya have a nice night now Ed!" Daryl called out with a smile.

Ed grumbled something that Daryl couldn't quite understand and he chuckled as he watched the man stalk into his house and slam the door. He headed back towards the porch and then paused as he heard shouting coming from Ed's house. There was a crash and then all was silent. Daryl waited, but he didn't hear anything else. He forced himself to walk inside of his house and shut the door.

He wasn't trying to get involved in any of the neighbor's affairs. Whatever they had going on next door didn't involve him and he didn't need any drama in his life after he had worked so hard to get rid of it.

* * *

Carol held her breath as Ed came back inside of the house. He was in a mood tonight. They had increased the quota at work so that meant longer work days for him and Carol knew that Ed didn't like that. He was lazy and he tried to get by with doing as little as possible. He had stormed off in a rage, mumbling about the neighbor's trash can that he claimed to have almost hit while pulling into the driveway.

Carol had peeked out of the curtains in the living room and watched as he confronted their new neighbor. She didn't know who he was other than the one time she had seen him, but their conversation didn't last long and she scrambled away from the window as Ed stalked back over. He slammed the door shut as he walked inside and Carol knew it was going to be bad by the expression on his face. Apparently their new neighbor must have said something to set him off and she knew she would pay dearly for it.

"Redneck prick. Trying to act all snooty at _me_! He better move that fucking trash can is all I gotta say," Ed grumbled as he stalked into the living room. He glanced over at her where she was pretending to sew a button back onto one of his shirts. "How the hell did he know my name? You been over at his place?" He asked her.

She shook her head rapidly, "N..No. Of course not!" She said.

He growled and his hand went flying through the air, knocking a picture frame off of one of the tables beside the couch. "Don't lie to me bitch!" He roared.

"I'm not Ed. I swear. I would never do that to y-" Her defense was cut short by his hand grabbing a fistful of her hair and making her rise quickly from the couch in order to not have any bald patches.

He tugged hard, bringing tears to her eyes as he stared at her, "Ya runnin' around on me?" He asked. His voice was deathly calm and that usually indicated something bad for her. She knew that at this point it no longer mattered what she said. He was so angry now that he was going to draw his own conclusions regardless of her answers.

"No," She said breathlessly.

He pushed her towards the hallway, "Getcha' ass in the bedroom and prove it to me then."

She stumbled down the hallway, her tears flowing freely and she struggled to get herself under control. If he spotted her crying, he would make it that much more worse for her. She stripped out of her clothes and climbed underneath the covers to wait for him. He came through the door moments later and shed himself of his clothes before turning out the light. He slid underneath the covers and she tried to bite back the bile that rose in her throat as his hands groped at her body.

"Jesus woman, you're like a cold fish! I'd do better just yanking myself off in the damn bathroom! Maybe I should do that, huh? Get you all riled up and leave you hanging," He grunted.

She closed her eyes and forced herself to go through the motions as he entered her. He might be her husband, but she didn't love this man. She had stopped loving Ed a long time ago and his touch only disgusted her now. She had never been so glad to not be able to have kids as she was at that moment. It had taken her a long time to get over the fact that she couldn't conceive, but it was times like these that she was thankful for it. She would have never been able to bring a child into this.

As he grunted and spilled his seed inside of her, she tried to focus her thoughts elsewhere. Hopefully he would leave her alone after this and she could just go to sleep and try to forget that her life was the mess that it was. He climbed off of the bed and grabbed his clothes, leaving her alone in the dark bedroom. She listened as his footsteps stalked down the hallway.

She got up and changed into her pajamas, her eyes drifting over to the house next door where a light had just come on. She glanced at the door, listening for Ed until she heard the sounds of the TV coming from the living room. She crossed over in the dark room and stood at the window, watching as their neighbor pulled his shirt over his head. She swallowed hard, feeling somewhat guilty for even watching but she couldn't tear her eyes away from him. He was lean with muscle and there wasn't any beer belly on him that s_he _could see. When his hands moved to his pants she quickly shut her blinds, refusing to invade his privacy in that way. She was curious about this man though and as she lay down in the bed she imagined what it would be like to be with someone like him instead of Ed. If only she could be that lucky.

* * *

_Thank you for reading and I look forward to hearing your thoughts!_


	4. Chapter 4

**_I want to sincerely thank everyone again for the well received reviews. They mean a lot to me and encourage me to continue on with this story. I hope you like this next addition to our tale. Thanks so much!_**

**_*I do not own The Walking Dead or any of its characters._**

* * *

Daryl was up early the next morning and ready to tackle painting the porch. He set up a small radio outside on the porch and cranked it to a local rock station so that he would have something to fill the silence while he worked. He set out the ladder that he had removed from the storage barn in the backyard and lit himself a cigarette. He took a swig of coffee and grabbed up the paint bucket. He had chosen to paint the porch back to its original beige color since Hershel hadn't specified otherwise and Daryl was no decorator. He stirred the paint and opened up the paintbrush before setting it to the side. He stood in the yard and finished smoking his cigarette before stepping up on the ladder. He heard a door slam from next door, but he ignored it and remained focused on what he was trying to accomplish for the day.

It was only when he heard the string of curses that he cracked a slight smile. He had known it was coming so he was prepared for it and he turned as Ed Peletier came striding into his yard, his face an angry mask.

"What the hell is your problem man?" He asked Daryl.

Daryl shrugged innocently, "Don't know what'cha talkin' 'bout," He replied. He _did_ know though. He had purposefully left his trash can exactly where it had stood the night before when Ed had confronted him about it. He had looked at it and he hadn't seen where it should have posed any threat at all to Ed Peletier's car so he left it. He had known that the man would likely make a stink about it this morning.

"I thought I asked ya to move your trash can?" Ed snapped.

Daryl regarded him silently from his perch on the second rung of the ladder, "Didn't see ta where it was in yer way none. Ya musta' misjudged tha turn. Might wanna try not swingin' ya car out so wide next time," He offered helpfully.

Ed glared at him, "So you think you're a smartass, huh?" Ed huffed. "I'll show _you_ a smartass," He threatened as he took a step further.

Daryl dropped down from the ladder and turned to face him, his expression carefully blank, "I don't think ya know who ya dealin' with Ed. Ya see I ain't like all these other renters that ya done run off from here," Ed's face registered his surprise, but he remained quiet. "I'm here ta stay as long as Hershel Greene says it's okay for me ta do so. So I suggest ya get back in ya car before ya make a fool outta yaself," Daryl suggested. He kept his tone non-threatening and a blank expression upon his face. Anyone passing by might have thought that the two of them were simply having a serious discussion of some sort if it weren't for Ed's angry glare.

Ed swallowed, "So you think you're one of those tough guys, huh? We'll just see about that," Ed turned around and stalked back towards his car.

"Have yerself a good day now neighbor!" Daryl called out to Ed's retreating back. Ed ignored him and climbed into his car and slammed the door. He backed up crookedly and tipped Daryl's trash can over before putting the car in drive and heading down the street.

Daryl shook his head and walked over to the trash can and began picking up the trash that had spilled out into the street. He knew it had been a dickhead thing to do to antagonize the man, but something about him got under Daryl's skin. He hated when others thought they could run all over someone just because someone else had let them do it once and it had gone to their head. Ed was just a bully and he needed to learn that he couldn't run over everyone, Daryl especially.

Daryl glanced up as a hand reached out to grab a piece of trash from the street just in front of him. He recognized the woman who lived with Ed, Ed's _wife_. He stared at her, trying to figure out if she was like her husband or as sweet as Hershel had claimed her to be. She was very skinny and her skin was pale as if she didn't get to spend much time outdoors. She had a bruise on her face that caught his attention for several minutes before he resumed studying her. She had brown hair that brushed against her shoulders and her clothes hung off of her as if they were either bought too big or she had lost a lot of weight recently. Her eyes were a really vivid blue and he found himself staring at them for a few moments before he caught himself and looked away.

He stood up straight and she placed the piece of trash she was holding into the can, "I'm sorry about what Ed did to your trash can," She said softly.

He shrugged, "Ain't no big deal. Gonna take more 'an that ta scare me off though," He shuffled his feet, a little uncomfortable with the silence. "Ya must be his wife, Carol?" He finally asked.

She glanced at him in surprise, "How did you-?"

He blushed slightly, "Hershel Greene told me. Ain't no stalker or nothin' if'n that's what ya thinkin'," He said.

She shook her head quickly, "No, no, of course not. I wasn't thinking that," Her face reddened.

He quickly stuffed the rest of the trash into the can and set it back in its place. He gestured to the porch where he had yet to begin his painting, "Well, uh, thanks for ya help. I better get back ta my paintin' though. Looks like it's gonna be another hot one," He commented.

She nodded, beginning to walk away and then she paused and turned, "I didn't catch your name," She called.

He stopped, "Daryl," He said.

"Nice to meet you Daryl," She said quickly and then she was gone, disappearing back inside of the house.

* * *

Carol shut the door to her house and leaned against it for several seconds as she tried to control her breathing. She couldn't believe she had actually went outside and talked to the man. He was even more gorgeous up close. He had chiseled biceps that clearly showed he either worked a lot or went to the gym. Ed wasn't at all like that. When they had first met, he had been in fairly decent shape, but over the years all the beer and junk he ate had caused him to have a beer gut. She glanced out of the living room windows and watched Daryl climb the ladder and begin painting the porch next door.

She sank onto the couch with a sigh and wondered what exactly Hershel Greene had been talking to the man about. She didn't know how much Hershel knew about what went on around their house, but she really didn't relish the thought of the new neighbor finding out about it. It was mortifying enough that Daryl had already had to deal with Ed and he hadn't even been in the house a week yet. Even though she knew that more people knew about what went on inside of her household than she would like to admit, she still liked to pretend that no one knew about it. If she thought that no one knew about the things Ed did to her, then it was easier to deny that they were really happening. Except for when she looked in the mirror. When she looked in the mirror and saw the bruises covering her face, she felt ashamed. She was ashamed that she had let this get so far out of control. She was ashamed that she was still _here _and stuck in this same routine day after day.

She knew if her parents were still around she wouldn't be here, but she didn't have anyone. It was just her and Ed and that was the problem. She didn't even so much as have a friend to count on in the midst of all this mess. She used to have friends back when she and Ed were first dating, but slowly they had begun to drift out of the picture and now it made Carol wonder if Ed hadn't had something to do with it. She knew Ed had run off all of Hershel's tenants who moved in next to them. Ed didn't like people too close and he thought everyone that moved in next door had been nosey. She knew he was just getting started giving Daryl a hard time just because Daryl was a man. It would also mean more trouble for her because Ed would accuse her of seeing Daryl when she hardly knew the man.

Except she kind of _wanted_ to know the man. As awful as it was considering she was married, she found herself daydreaming about him a little. She often dreamed of other men that she made up in her mind or random strangers she saw in public. She never would have made it as long as she had if she didn't fantasize about being with someone else. She pretended for a moment that she was with the new neighbor instead of Ed and she closed her eyes as she thought about what it would feel like to kiss him. She bet that he would know _exactly_ how to please a woman and she sighed as she opened her eyes to her bleak reality. She didn't let herself fantasize for very long, otherwise she would end up being depressed that her life was the mess that it was.

* * *

Daryl wiped at his brow with his arm and applied the last coat of paint to the porch. He was halfway done. One more coat of paint and he should be finished. The house already looked much better with the fresh paint gleaming under the sunlight. He set the paintbrush on top of the bucket and stepped back to light a cigarette. His stomach growled a little, but he ignored it. He didn't feel like breaking stride to make himself something to eat. He briefly entertained the idea of some more pie, but then decided that he could wait. He didn't like to leave things unfinished and he really wanted to get the porch done so that he could relax a bit.

Tomorrow was July fourth and he knew he would probably be making a visit to see his brother. He always tried to visit him on the holidays even if it was only for a few minutes. It wasn't that they were religious or anything, but it was the fact that Daryl just thought no one deserved to spend holidays alone or in Merle's case: in jail. He hated visiting the prison. There were so many doors and procedures to go through just to get in that it always made Daryl feel slightly claustrophobic. Every time one of the doors slammed behind him on his way to the visitation area, he flinched.

He took one last puff from his cigarette and put it out before bending down to grab his paintbrush again. That was when he noticed Carol coming across the lawn with a tall glass in her hands. He walked over to the porch and turned the radio down a little so that he could hear her.

She gave him a small smile, "I just made some lemonade and I thought you might like some," She offered the glass to him and after a slight hesitation he accepted it.

He took a long swallow and then turned the glass up and finished it before handing it back to her, "Ya made that?" He asked incredulously.

She nodded, "It's better than buying it. I don't like store bought lemonade. Tastes fake," She replied.

"That was good. Ain't never had no homemade lemonade before," He said.

"Would you like some more?" She asked him.

He looked up at the porch and then shook his head, "Better not. Gotta get back on this porch. Tryin' ta finish it today cause I won't be home tomorrow," He said and then paused. He probably shouldn't have told her that information since she was married to a guy that clearly had it in for him. "Uh, I mean...," He trailed off at a loss for words.

She seemed to catch on, "Oh, don't worry about Ed. I don't think he'll break in and steal your stuff or anything. He wouldn't want to go to jail," She said. "That would be too easy," She mumbled the last part and he frowned a little.

"Nice guy, ya husband is," He said sarcastically. "Kinda surprisin' really."

"Oh?" She asked.

"Ya don't seem nothin' like him so it's hard ta see what ya two got in common," He commented.

She looked down at her feet and Daryl noticed that she was barefoot. Her toes were painted red and she kept curling them into the grass as they stood there.

"Ed's complicated," That was all she said and Daryl left it alone.

He gestured to the porch with a nod of his head, "Well I appreciate tha lemonade, but I guess I best be gettin' back ta my paintin'. Maybe I'll see ya 'round," He said.

She nodded, her expression thoughtful, "Fireworks," She said suddenly.

He squinted at her in the sunlight, wishing he had thought to grab his shades from the house, "Excuse me?"

"Tomorrow's the fourth. The town always pops fireworks. You can see them from the house if you're in the backyard," She said.

He couldn't remember the last time he had watched fireworks and he wasn't sure he would watch them this year either. He did appreciate the advice though, "I might hafta check inta that then. Thanks," He told her.

She shrugged and her eyes darted to the street before coming back towards him, "You're welcome," She replied. "See you around then."

He nodded as he grabbed his paintbrush, "See ya."


	5. Chapter 5

_I want to personally thank each of you again for the comments and reviews. I truly appreciate the support. I decided to go ahead and put out another update for you as the muse was working frantically in my head. I would love to hear what you think!_

_**I do not own The Walking Dead or any of its characters._

* * *

Daryl sighed as he waited in the line at the prison to see his brother. He hated these trips. He didn't like being enclosed inside of the jail and he hated the process that he had to go through to get inside to see his brother. The first time he had ever come to visit Merle, he had forgotten he still had his knife in his pocket and had to make a run back to the truck to put it up before he entered inside. Now he stood in the long line of people who waited to see their lovers, friends or relatives and chewed on his thumb. The prison was a nonsmoking area and it was always hard for him to sit still for a long time and not smoke.

The line moved up a little more until finally it was Daryl's turn and he removed his shoes, cell phone, money, and keys. He placed them in the tub near one of the security guards who placed it on the conveyor belt to scan for anything that wasn't supposed to be there. Then he waited until the guard gave him the nod and he walked through the full body scanner. He always held his breath as he walked through it, nervous that it might beep. He never carried in anything he wasn't supposed to and things never seemed to go his way. He exhaled as the scanner remained silent and crossed over to wait for his things to come off of the conveyor belt on this side so that he could put his shoes back on. Once he was done, he waited at a big door with a glass window for another guard to buzz him in. Once he stepped through that first door and it clicked behind him, he started to get that claustrophobic feeling again. He passed through three more sets of doors before finally entering the visiting area where he was directed to a table to wait for Merle.

He chewed on his thumb and then got up to get them both a drink. Inmates weren't allowed to use the vending machines because they couldn't touch any money so they had to stand at a white line painted on the floor next to them and point at what they wanted. It had taken Daryl a few visits to get used to all of the rules here. He honestly didn't know how Merle did it. Merle had never been good at following the rules and there were millions of them in prison. Daryl was almost scared to sneeze for fear that a group of guards would descend on him, demanding to know why he was sneezing. It wasn't quite so severe and he probably made it out to be a lot more than it really was, but he sometimes felt like it could happen. He had driven all the way out to the prison once only to find that they were on lockdown because a prisoner had been found with drugs and there would be no visits that day. He had been turned away at the door and told that they would let Merle know he had tried to visit.

Finally he spotted Merle striding towards him from a small room in the back where they patted the prisoners down as they entered. As usual his brother wore a serious expression on his face, letting people know that he wasn't to be messed with. He only smiled as he came up to the table and sat down across from Daryl. They were allowed one hug upon entering and leaving, but neither of them had ever hugged before this and they definitely weren't starting now. That wasn't how they operated at all.

Merle popped the top on the soda and took a long drink before releasing a heavy sigh, "What's good baby brotha?" He asked.

Daryl regarded him over the rim of his own can of soda before setting it back down, "Got moved in to tha new place," He commented.

Merle raised a brow, "Oh?"

Daryl nodded, "Yep. Got tha porch painted yesterday." He had mentioned to Merle the last time that he visited that he was looking at a place, but he hadn't yet put any money down on it.

Merle stroked the slight stubble on the side of his face, "That's good man. Landlord gonna knock some off tha rent fer yer labor?" He asked.

"Yeah."

"Good. Ya ain't careful them sum bitches will run right over ya. Make sure ya keepin' track o' ya time an' receipts," Merle warned.

"He ain't like that. Hershel's a real nice man. His wife baked me a pie," Daryl said.

Merle sucked his teeth and leaned back in his chair, "A pie? What kinda pie?"

Daryl smirked, "Apple," He said, knowing that it was Merle's favorite.

Merle swore, "Can't wait 'til I'm outta this shithole. Fuckin' missin' everythin'," He said sourly. "How's tha new job?"

Daryl shrugged, "S'alright. Got my promotion," He boasted proudly. "I'm a supervisor now."

Merle grinned and let out a low whistle, "No shit? My brotha's movin' on up in tha world! Pretty soon ya gonna be too good ta come an' visit me."

He was joking, but Daryl could also tell that there was a seriousness to his statement as well. Merle would never admit it, but Daryl knew he really looked forward to their visits. He had noticed how Merle was always careful not to piss him off either. He knew Daryl wouldn't come the next time because Daryl had skipped a visit before. Merle had changed his tune the next time, making sure not to push Daryl too far.

Daryl gestured towards the machines, "I know ya wantin' somethin' so come stand over here an' tell me what'cha want so's I can buy it 'fore we run outta time," He said.

They headed over to the vending machines and after several minutes of contemplation Merle chose some potato chips, a honeybun, and a microwavable cheeseburger. Daryl handed him the chips and honeybun while he went to microwave the cheeseburger. He bought Merle another drink on his way back to the table and set everything down in front of him. Daryl watched with a slightly amused expression as Merle began digging in as if he were eating a gourmet dinner.

Merle groaned as he bit into the cheeseburger, "Don't even wanna know what's in this shit, but sure as fuck tastes good," He wiped at his face as he chewed.

"Ya been gettin' tha money I been sendin'?" Daryl asked.

Merle nodded, "Yep. Sure as shit have. 'Preciate tha hell outta it too," He replied.

Daryl shrugged. He could afford to send Merle a little more now that he had gotten his promotion. He didn't want to think of his brother being stuck in the prison without being able to buy anything. He tried to send something once a month and he tried to make it enough to where it would last Merle the entire month. Daryl hated filling out the money orders to send in. He hated paperwork, but he was getting better at it now that he was forced to do more of it with his new job position. The inmates were allowed to receive money onto an account that was set up for them through the prison and they used their prison badge as an atm card of sorts. They were given a list each month and they were supposed to check off the items that they wanted. When it came time to go to the "store", they simply presented their badge and they were given a box with their order inside.

Daryl eyed the clock, seeing that it was almost time to go. Merle finished up his food and then sat back in his chair with a sigh, "So what's good with ya? Gotcha anybody on tha side?" He asked.

Daryl scowled. Merle knew that he didn't do the whole dating thing. He wasn't good with women and he generally shied away from them altogether. Merle was a different story though, his brother had dipped his dick in just about every willing pussy he could find inside the whole state of Georgia.

"Ya know I ain't," Daryl grumbled.

Merle sucked his teeth again as he regarded his brother, "Yeah well, thought that with me not bein' 'round ya might change ya mind. Got ta be awfully lonely in yer bed."

"Bed's jus' fine," He glanced at the clock again. "Time's up," He said.

Merle flicked his eyes to the clock and then nodded slowly, "When ya comin' back? Ain't no more holidays fer a while."

"Maybe I can get back in a few weeks. Dunno. Gotta see how busy I am after tha holiday. I'll send ya some more money at tha beginnin' of next month like usual," He said as they both stood up.

"Sounds good. See ya next time then," Merle said.

"See ya."

* * *

Carol brought the macaroni casserole out of the oven and set it on the counter to cool before glancing out of the kitchen window again. Ed was late. He was never late without calling first and he hadn't called. She glanced at the clock. It was a few minutes after six and she knew he got off of work at five. He was usually home by five thirty and that put him being thirty minutes late with no phone call. She wasn't sure what she should do. She always tried to time dinner just right so that it was still hot when he got home otherwise she would find herself on the receiving end of Ed's wrath and she didn't want that. Now dinner would be cold when he got home and she knew she would pay for it.

When seven o'clock rolled around, she began pacing. Something was wrong. It wasn't so much that she was worried that something had happened to him. That wasn't the case at all. She had _never_ been that lucky. She supposed it was more that she was worried that he was up to something and she didn't know what. She calmed down slightly as she remembered that it _was_ July fourth weekend and traffic might be a little bad. She couldn't see it stalling him for two hours, but it was the only explanation she could come up with at the moment.

They didn't own cell phones. Ed claimed he hated technology, but she thought it was more that he didn't want anyone checking up on him. She knew Ed had been sneaking around on her for years. She didn't care and in fact she would rather he did that instead of try to force himself on her. If he was getting it somewhere else, then she was spared from having to endure the torture of having him inside of her.

She sat down at the kitchen table that faced the window and tapped her fingers against the table. The ticking of the clock was magnified times ten in the quiet house. Finally she spotted a vehicle coming down the road and she hurriedly checked over dinner and began fixing him a plate so that it was ready when he came inside. She turned around to place the plate on the table and saw that it wasn't Ed's vehicle that she had seen. It was Daryl from next door. She still wasn't used to having a neighbor and she had forgotten all about him being gone for the moment.

She stared out of the window from the living room as he exited his truck and walked up the short path to his house. He paused to inspect something on the porch and then he made his way inside of the house. She stood there for several minutes until the shrill sound of the phone ringing brought her back to the present.

She rushed over to answer it, "Hello?"

She listened as a female voice spoke on the other end, "I'm looking for a Carol Peletier?"

Carol clutched the counter, "This is she."

"Mrs. Peletier, I'm calling from Senoia County Hospital. Your husband was just admitted to the hospital," The woman said.

Carol gasped, "What? What happened?"

The woman cleared her throat, "I'm not allowed to give any details over the phone. You should come as soon as you're able."

Carol glanced around at the house and the table that still held their dinner, "Sure. I'll be there as soon as I can," She replied.

She thanked the woman and hung up. Then she took a deep breath and began putting the food from dinner into containers that she would wash when she got home. She could only imagine how crabby Ed would be when she got there. She supposed she would have to call a cab to get there and then she paused as her eyes caught on the house next door. She bit her lip and then grabbed a plate and began dipping food onto it. She set all of the dirty dishes in the sink and grabbed her purse and the food, locking the door behind her.

Her hands shook a little as she walked over to the house next door. She really hoped she wasn't bothering him, but she had just realized that she didn't have any money for a cab. The only thing she had was a checkbook and cab driver's didn't take checks. She raised her hand and knocked on the door softly. She waited and waited, but nothing happened. She reached up and knocked again, a little louder this time. Finally she was rewarded with the sound of footsteps and the front door was thrust open.

Carol knew she was staring openly at Daryl, but she couldn't have torn her eyes away from him if she had wanted to. She didn't want to. He had on a black tank and what looked like grey gym shorts. His hair was wet and in a disarray on his head as his expression went from annoyance to calm.

He ran a hand through his hair, "Um, everythin' alright?" He asked.

She blinked and then blushed, "Y..er, no. I've got a problem. Ed's been in some kind of accident and they need me at the hospital, but we only have the one car. I don't have any money for a taxi and I brought you some dinner in the hopes that you might trade a home cooked meal for a ride to the hospital?" She asked.

He stared at her and then his eyes drifted to the foil covered plate, "Ya wanna step inside a minute? I jus' got out tha shower. If ya let me throw some jeans on, I'll take ya," He said.

She tried not to think about him in the shower and instead focused on looking at the inside of the house. It wasn't in the mess that she had thought it would be considering he was male and lived alone. It was rather tidy with only a cup and a plate sitting in the kitchen sink that didn't even look dirty.

"Thank you," She said.

He shrugged and sat the plate she handed to him on the kitchen counter, "Ain't no big deal. Jus' give me a minute," He said again.

She nodded, "Okay."

She toyed with the straps of her purse while she waited. There wasn't much to look at. He didn't have any pictures on the wall aside from a few that were just generic landscape pictures that had probably belonged to Hershel she figured. True to his word, he exited the bedroom mere minutes later dressed in a pair of jeans and boots to go along with the tank. She thought he looked every bit of gorgeous male and her pulse fluttered in her throat as she drank him in.

"Ya ready?" He asked.

"Ready," She replied.


	6. Chapter 6

_Slightly shorter chapter, but I've got some things to sort out over here so hopefully this will hold you all for a bit. I truly enjoyed reading all of your reviews from the last chapter. Your comments about Ed being dead made me smile. We all hate Ed. I'm glad to see that you all enjoyed Daryl's fresh out of the shower moment and that you enjoyed the brother's visit at the prison. I do enjoy the Dixon brothers and how they interact with each other. Keep sending the reviews, they're so encouraging! Thank you again!_

_****I do not own The Walking Dead or any of its characters.**_

_****There are brief mentions of violence in this chapter.**_

* * *

Carol was silent on the drive over to the hospital. She tried to busy herself with looking around at the inside of his truck, but there wasn't much there to distract her. It was an older model Ford, but it appeared to have been kept up really well despite its old appearance. The inside was worn, but it was still nice and neat just like his house had been. She had never known a man to be that neat, but then again she hadn't known many men besides Ed and he_ definitely _wasn't neat. She didn't really know Daryl that well, but she got a sense that he wasn't much of a talker since he didn't offer up any small talk as he drove.

She wasn't sure what she should be feeling right now, but she wasn't really feeling _anything_. She barely paid any attention to the passing scenery as they drove on because her thoughts were so jumbled. _How bad was Ed hurt? What if he was in critical condition? What if he had just a scratch and they sent him home with her? What would happen then? _She had so many questions that she needed answered and she bit her lip to keep from sighing in frustration. It didn't take them long to make it to the hospital and Daryl pulled up in front of the emergency room. She looked over at him and wondered if he was just going to drop her off and leave. Suddenly she didn't want him to go. There was a part of her that wanted to ask him to stay and keep her company. She wasn't even sure if she herself wanted to go in there.

He seemed to read her thoughts and he nodded towards the entrance, "Go ahead. I'll be along in a minute. I'll wait ta see if ya need a ride back," He offered.

She smiled gratefully at him, "Thank you," She said quickly as she hopped out of the truck.

She headed inside of the rather large emergency room and straight for the desk in the corner. She had been in this emergency room a few times. Once when Ed had broken her nose, once for a splint on her wrist, and once because she had gotten a bad case of strep throat that had been unrelated to Ed. The secretary was on the phone as Carol walked up and she stood in front of the desk waiting patiently for the woman to finish.

Finally the woman ended the call and looked at her, "May I help you?" She asked.

Carol nodded, "Yes. I got a call that my husband was brought here," She said.

"Name?" The woman asked as she began typing at her computer.

"Edward Peletier," Carol replied.

The woman clicked a few things on her computer and then read the screen, "Okay. Have a seat for just a moment and I'll have someone come for you in a minute," She replied.

Carol nodded and turned to face the slightly crowded waiting area. She finally located a few seats that weren't occupied and sat down in one of them to wait. She spotted Daryl just outside of the window standing on the sidewalk smoking. She watched as he paced back and forth for a minute and then lifted his boot, propping it up on one of the concrete poles around the lot. His tank stretched taut over his back showing off well defined muscles. She was so engrossed in watching him that she almost didn't hear someone call out Ed's name.

"Ed Peletier?" The voice repeated more loudly.

Carol turned and stood up quickly, "I'm here for Ed," She said.

The nurse smiled sympathetically at her and nodded, "Follow me please," She said.

The woman was buzzed in at a door that opened up to the back where all of the patients were kept in numbered rooms. Some rooms had curtains in front of them that were closed indicating they held a patient, and some rooms were empty. Carol hated hospitals. Any time she had ever been in a hospital it had never been for a good reason. It always seemed to her that you could _smell_ the sickness upon entering the building and it kind of spooked her. Sometimes she feared catching something from someone simply by breathing in the same air that they did. The woman stopped in front of a small room that held a sign on the outside of the door that simply read, _Consultation_.

The woman opened the door and Carol turned to her, "I'm confused. Is my husband here?" She asked.

The woman smiled at her, "Have a seat Mrs. Peletier. Someone will be along with you in a few moments. They can explain everything then," She said.

Carol sighed and then nodded and chose one of the five seats that occupied the tiny room so that she could wait yet again. She felt like she was being led through a series of jumps just so that she could finally get to the last and be told that she was in the wrong race. She shifted uncomfortably in the quiet empty room and her eyes fell on the bible that sat on one of the tables. Realization seemed to dawn on her and she gasped.

_This was the room they brought you to when they had to tell you your loved one had died._

* * *

Daryl walked the sidewalk just outside of the emergency room. He had smoked three cigarettes already. Normally he didn't smoke quite that much, but he was bored and getting antsy. He hadn't wanted to wait for Carol, not really, but she had looked so lost when he had pulled the truck up to the entrance and he hadn't had the heart to tell her he wouldn't wait.

He hated hospitals. There was something about them that just made his stomach knot up when he entered them. He hadn't had to go to the hospital much in his life. Once he had had to go because he broke his leg and it needed to be set and put in a cast. That had been the time that Merle and his idiot friends had dared him to jump from one of the ledges next to the creek in the woods behind their house. They had misjudged how deep the water was and Daryl hadn't wanted to be called a pussy by Merle's stupid friends so he had jumped. Merle's expression had been horrified as Daryl had howled in pain. Daryl remembered his brother carrying him all the way back to the house before driving him to the hospital. Daryl had been thirteen at the time.

The second time he went because of a car wreck when he was seventeen. One of Merle's friends had been driving when an eighteen wheeler had come around a sharp turn too fast and the large truck collided with their car. Daryl had flown through the windshield and woken up sometime later in the hospital. They had to replace his eye socket around the left eye with titanium and ever since Daryl had always preferred his shades when outdoors.

Surprisingly enough he had never had to go to the hospital when his old man had been laying into him. It had hurt like hell and he had several scars to show for it, but he had never gone to the hospital. Their old man would have shit bricks had Daryl went to the hospital over a beating. One time their old man had broken his nose and Merle had had to reset it, but he still hadn't gone into the hospital for it. "_Dixons don't need hospitals_," the old man had always said, _"Hospitals are for pussies." _He and Merle had always done the best they could do as far as medical care at home.

"Daryl?" A voice asked from behind him.

Daryl turned to identify the owner of the voice, "Mr. Greene," He said.

Hershel waved a hand at him, "Please. Call me Hershel," He said. He peered around Daryl with a concerned look. "Everything alright?"

Daryl took another draw off of his cigarette and nodded, "Oh, uh yeah. I ain't here for me. I brought Carol up here for Ed," He said.

Hershel raised a brow in concern, "Oh, dear. Is she alright?"

Daryl gave him a confused look, "She's fine. I think somethin' happened to 'er husband," He said. He wondered why the man would assume he was here because Carol was hurt.

Hershel's look of concern eased, "_Oh_. What happened to Ed?" He asked.

Daryl shrugged, "Dunno. All I know is she come over to tha house an' asked me ta take her up here," He replied. Daryl took one last draw from his cigarette and put it out. He shuffled his feet. He had never been good with small talk, but Hershel was still standing there so he felt compelled to fill the silence with something. "What about you? Everythin' alright?" He asked the man.

Hershel nodded, "Oh, everything's fine. Once a week I come up here with Josephine while she visits with her lady friend. She's got cancer and comes here for treatments. I usually just walk around while she visits instead of going all the way back to the farm and having to come back."

"Oh." Daryl wasn't sure what else to say to that. He didn't much see a point of coming to the hospital if you didn't have to. He didn't think he could come here once a week just to sit with someone, but everyone was different he supposed. He shoved his hands in his pockets and cleared his throat, the silence closing in again.

"If you don't feel like waiting on Carol, I wouldn't mind waiting here to give her a ride when she comes out," Hershel offered.

Daryl considered it for a moment, but then he figured he had already waited this long and he didn't want her to think he had ditched her like that. As much as he disliked hospitals he couldn't do that to someone. "Nah, I'm alright. Ain't got nothin' better ta do anyway. Ain't like it's outta my way or nothin'."

"That's awfully nice of you. Carol needs a friend. She spends too much time in that house with Ed. I would never wish ill on anyone, but I can't seem to gather up much sympathy for the man. I never did care for him," Hershel said. "He hasn't given you any problems has he?"

Daryl thought about the trash can incident, but then decided it was better if he didn't mention it. It really hadn't been that big of a deal and there was no use in worrying Hershel with it. If anything else happened, Daryl was confident that he could take care of it himself. He wouldn't involve Hershel unless he had to, but he didn't see as where the old man could do much about the situation anyhow.

Daryl shook his head, "Nah. Ain't had no issues with him."

Hershel nodded, a relieved look crossing his face, "Good."

Daryl peered through the glass window behind them into the waiting room. He didn't see Carol in there so he could only assume that she was somewhere in the back, maybe tending to Ed. He had noticed on the drive over that she had been antsy, but she hadn't seemed _upset_. The two of them seemed so different. He hoped that whatever news she found out about Ed that it wasn't too bad. He didn't think he could handle the drive home with a hysterical woman. For some reason though, he just didn't sense that about her.


	7. Chapter 7

_I am continuously amazed by all of the reviews for this. I know it's not perfect, but everyone's reviews mean a lot. They keep me going and I work hard to get out lots of little updates for your reading pleasure because of them. _

_****I do not own The Walking Dead or any of its characters.**_

_****I am not a doctor and most of my information comes from Google/personal experience so please bear that in mind while reading.**_

* * *

Carol shifted in her chair and picked at her fingernails while she waited for someone to come and talk to her about Ed. Messing with her nails was a bad habit she had acquired quite some time ago that she hadn't been able to break. It seemed to be much worse when she was nervous or upset about something and she was. She had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach about the whole situation. She wanted to flee from the room and run far away from all of it, but she knew that she couldn't.

The door opened suddenly and a woman dressed in a white lab coat and scrubs entered the room. Carol assumed that she was Ed's doctor and she looked at the woman anxiously. The woman held out her hand to Carol and Carol shook it.

"Mrs. Peletier?" The woman asked. Carol nodded, wishing she would get on with it already. "My name is Doctor Kohn. I saw to your husband Edward after he was brought in," She said.

Carol swallowed, "What's going on with him?"

The doctor cleared her throat and took the seat right next to Carol, "Your husband was brought in around six pm this evening by ambulance. He was pretty badly broken up with multiple fractures, hemorrhaging, and a punctured lung. We tried to stabilize him, but his body wasn't responding to the medicine and he went into cardiac arrest. Unfortunately we weren't able to revive him. I'm so sorry for your loss," Doctor Kohn replied.

Carol took a moment to process this information. She was shocked. She had had her suspicions that this was the reason they had brought her to this room, but she hadn't actually believed for a moment that Ed was dead. It all seemed so surreal to her and she discreetly pinched herself on the arm to make sure that it wasn't just some dream she was having. The doctor was staring at her as if she was expecting Carol to fall apart at any possible moment, but Carol didn't feel like she would. She wasn't exactly filled with joy that Ed was gone, but she wasn't the least bit sad about the fact either. She supposed that at the moment she was more curious than anything else.

"What happened?" She asked.

"All that we were told was that he wrecked his vehicle and that's how he was injured. We weren't told specifics of the accident, but I'm sure that someone from the police station will be getting in touch with you soon," Doctor Kohn cleared her throat again and Carol wondered if the woman was nervous. "Would you like to see him before they take him away?"

"Where are they taking him too?" Carol asked.

"Are you going to be okay Mrs. Peletier?" Doctor Kohn looked at her worriedly, but didn't directly answer her question. "I can write you a prescription for something to help with the shock if you think you need it."

Carol waved away her request. She didn't like taking pills unless it was absolutely necessary, "I'm fine. So what happens now?"

Doctor Kohn blinked a few times before responding and cleared her throat again. Carol decided that it had to be a nervous habit. "I'll have a nurse bring in some paperwork that I need you to sign and then you can leave to handle the necessary arrangements. Do you have someone who can drive you home?" She asked.

Carol thought about Daryl waiting outside, "I do. Thank you doctor," She replied.

The woman gave her a forced smile and then quickly stepped out of the room. Carol found herself alone in the small room once again waiting on someone else and she sighed and began picking at her nails again.

* * *

Daryl was on his sixth cigarette by the time he spotted Carol exiting through the hospital doors. Hershel had left him some time ago to locate his wife and Daryl still hadn't entered the hospital. He tried to figure out what had happened by the expression on her face, but her face was carefully blank. She stood there for a moment before spotting him as he walked over to her.

He gnawed at his thumb as he came to a stop just in front of her, "Ed alright?" He asked. He had thought a lot about what he would say to her and that had been the best that he could come up with. He couldn't seem to summon up an ounce of caring or sympathy for the man no matter how hard he tried.

She sighed, "He's dead." She said matter of factly.

He was momentarily thrown by the calm with which she uttered those words and he stared at her with a perplexed expression on his face. "I..uh..I'm sorry ta hear that," He said.

She glanced up at him and gave him a small smile, "I appreciate you waiting all this time for me. I'm ready to go now if you are," She replied.

He nodded, "I'll go an' get tha truck an' bring it up," He said.

She reached out her hand and touched his arm. He tensed, but tried not to let it show. "No, that's okay. I can walk with you," She said.

Daryl shrugged and began walking towards the truck. She followed beside him and they walked quietly to where he had parked the vehicle. He couldn't believe how calm she was. He glanced at her as he started the truck and pulled out of the parking lot. She hadn't offered up any more information other than Ed was dead and he couldn't help but be curious as to how it had happened. Except for fidgeting with her hands that were in her lap, she was still for the whole ride back to her house. He thought about turning on the radio for some background noise, but then decided against it thinking that it might be rude. He knew people generally had some sort of moment of silence when someone they cared about had passed and he decided that he would just have to endure it until they arrived back at her place.

The drive seemed to take forever, but he finally let out a small breath as he turned the truck down the street that they lived on. He pulled into his driveway and put the truck in park. He got out of the truck and was halfway around the vehicle before he noticed that she hadn't moved. He opened the passenger door and she blinked up at him.

"Ya gon' be alright?" He felt stupid for asking such a ridiculous question, but he didn't know what else to say.

She stared at him for several moments and then she finally nodded, "I'm okay. Sorry," She said.

"Ya don't hafta apologize ta me," He said.

He stood nearby as she climbed out of the truck and then he walked slowly next to her over to her house. She fished in her pockets and pulled out a set of keys to unlock the door. She turned back to him as she opened it, "Thanks for taking me Daryl," She said softly.

He nodded, "Ain't no problem," He shifted his feet and then nodded at her house. "Ya want me ta walk ya inside or anything?" He asked.

She glanced into the darkness of the house and shook her head, "I think I'm okay. Thank you," She said.

"Yer welcome," He stood there a moment longer until she shut the door and then he made his way over to his house. As he stepped onto his front porch a loud boom shook the sky and he glanced up just in time to see a bright splash of color light up the sky. He had forgotten that it was July fourth. He shrugged and headed inside to heat up some of the food Carol had brought to him earlier. Holidays never meant much to him anymore.

* * *

Carol leaned against the railing of the back porch as she stared up at the bright showers of light that popped over her head. The first boom had taken her completely by surprise and she had flinched before realizing that it was only fireworks. The fact that it was the fourth of July had completely slipped her mind. She had piddled around in the house switching on lights and glancing once at the kitchen that still needed cleaning before deciding to come outside and stare up at the sky. She had always enjoyed watching the fireworks ever since she was a kid, but Ed had always tried to ruin it for her by saying it was stupid. She didn't care what he thought about it though. She loved every holiday even though Ed had always yelled at her for wanting to celebrate or decorate the house.

It was an odd sensation, being in the house without him now. She kept waiting to hear his loud voice yelling at her to clean the kitchen or fetch him something. The house seemed large and full of shadows now that it was just her. She wrapped her arms around herself as she watched another firecracker pop in the sky.

She wasn't sure what she was going to do now that she was technically a widow. It all seemed so unreal to her that she was on her own now. She was free to make her own decisions without fear of being punished or laughed at. She felt wrong for not feeling any sadness over the loss of Ed. He had been her husband and she surely she must have loved him once although at the moment she couldn't think of the time when she had. There had been so much anger and humiliation over the years that any ounce of sympathy that she might have been able to drudge up for him was now buried somewhere deep down inside of her.

She glanced up at the sky as it exploded with a series of booms that shook the ground with its power. As the last firework faded into the smoky sky, she turned and entered her house. She locked the door carefully behind her and traveled down the hallway checking all of the rooms. She wasn't tired, at least not physically, and she doubted that she would get any sleep at all tonight. She paused at the entrance to the kitchen and glanced at the sink of dishes she hadn't gotten to yet. She crossed over to the sink out of habit and turned on the faucet. She let the water run for several minutes and then she stopped. There was no one around to yell at her for leaving the dishes until morning anymore and she stepped away from the sink to turn out the light. It was a freeing feeling to leave those dishes behind and not have to worry about the repercussions for tomorrow.

Grabbing a blanket from the hall closet, she curled up on the couch and turned on the TV. She flicked through the channels until she found an old movie and she reached over to turn off the lamp, enveloping the room in a cloak of darkness. Hearing a door slam, she turned to glance out of the window and spotted Daryl standing on his porch, the glow of his cigarette like a beacon in the night. Strangely enough, just knowing that he was next door had a calming effect on her and she settled back into the couch, her eyes sliding shut as her head hit the pillow.

* * *

_Please bear in mind that Carol is going through a lot right now so her thoughts may be a bit jumbled. It's not that she misses Ed, it's more that she is a little in shock and just doesn't know how to cope with it all. As always, I would love to hear what you think. _


	8. Chapter 8

_I just thought I would take a minute to tell you all how much I appreciate all of your responses to this story. It really helps me to keep writing these chapters out knowing that everyone is so into them. I actually sat down and wrote about six pages of notes on this earlier so I'm trying to stay ahead of the game. I'm simply delighted that the story is being enjoyed and I hope that I can continue to make it interesting. Thanks _

_****I do not own The Walking Dead or any of its characters**._

* * *

Daryl tapped his foot slightly to the beat of the rock music while he lined up a door to one of the cabinets in the kitchen. He had gotten up early that morning and begun working on the cabinets in the kitchen. They were all built, but they still needed the doors attached and then they would need a coat of paint. Hershel already had all of the materials for this particular job inside of the house, but he had just never gotten around to actually completing the project so now Daryl was completing it for him.

It was another hot day and Daryl had opted to raise all of the windows up so that he could still feel the air from outside since he had to be cooped up inside of the house. He had several fans going, but he was still sweating buckets. He was debating on whether or not to turn the air conditioning back on as sweat rolled down his back. He bit down on the screws that he had stuck into his mouth and marked the spots where he needed to drill the holes for the hinges. He grabbed the drill from the counter and a screw from his mouth to begin drilling the hinges into the wood. He repeated this process for the rest of the cabinets until finally he had all of the doors hung and the kitchen was beginning to look more like a kitchen again.

He reached into the fridge and stood there for a moment before bypassing the beer and grabbing a bottle of water from inside. He stepped out onto the porch, letting the screen door slam shut behind him and chugged down the bottle of water. He lit himself a cigarette and reached down to lift the hem of his shirt slightly to wipe at the sweat on his brow. He rested his arms on the porch railing and propped a booted foot between the rails on the bottom.

He hadn't seen Carol since he had walked her over to her house last night. He didn't know if he should go over there and check on her or not. She had seemed okay last night, but then again he really didn't know her all that well. He glanced over at her house, but there wasn't even the faintest glimpse of movement. He took another draw off of his cigarette and blew out a cloud of smoke. Tomorrow he would have to return to work. His vacation would be over such that it was. He was actually kind of glad to be getting back to work. He really wasn't a vacation type of person. He much preferred to be doing something useful rather than sitting at home all day which was why he had chosen to finish the cabinets. The floor in the spare bathroom needed to be fixed, but that would take more than one day to complete and Daryl didn't like leaving things unfinished even for only temporary.

He took one last draw off of his cigarette and tossed the butt into a can he had set out on the porch. The sound of his neighbor's sprinkler turning on next door caught his attention. Hershel had said the guy that lived on the other side of him was named Jim. He still had yet to meet Jim, but there was a car in the driveway now even though no one was outside. He wasn't in any kind of hurry to meet the man though. He wasn't trying to be the social butterfly of the neighborhood. Still, the sprinkler looked inviting and he glanced from it to the water hose attached to his house by the porch.

He walked down the steps and around the porch to the hose debating on whether or not he should. Then he shrugged and turned on the hose before picking it up. He lifted it high above his head and tilted his head back so that it ran over his hair and down his chest. The water felt so good running over him that he almost groaned aloud at the relief. He was so lost in his own thoughts and relief that he didn't hear anyone approach behind him until it was too late. He whirled around and accidentally sprayed the visitor with the full force of the hose.

* * *

Carol hadn't been spying on Daryl, she really hadn't. She had been coming over to bring him more of the food that she had cooked the day before. She wasn't hungry and there was no sense in it going to waste. She had paused and stared at him halfway between her house and his though. He was standing underneath his water hose and letting the water run down over his body. She stood there completely dumbfounded for the moment and openly gaped at him.

It was like something out of every woman's fantasy. His shirt, now thoroughly soaked, was plastered to his skin and outlined every muscle in his chest as if he were simply wearing nothing at all. The water droplets glistened off of his arms and face in the glare of the sun and his jeans seemed to cling to him tighter than before. She hadn't realized she was even walking forward until he suddenly whirled and she was drinking a mouthful of water as he soaked her with the spray of the hose.

"Shit!" She heard him mutter and seconds later the water was turned off. She coughed a bit and felt him pat her rather soundly on the back. "Ya alright?" He asked.

She coughed again and nodded. She swiped her hair away from her face and licked a drop of water from the corner of her mouth. "I'm fine," She said.

"I didn't hear ya behind me. Didn't mean ta spray ya," He said.

She glanced down at the Tupperware bowl in her hands and at her clothes that were now clinging to her skin. Then she started to laugh. She laughed so hard that tears sprung to her eyes and Daryl gave her a small smile as he stood there in front of her. She knew that he would think she was crazy, but she couldn't stop the laughter that erupted from within her. Finally she began to get control of herself and she swiped at the tears that had began to run down her cheeks. Daryl was looking at her as if she was from another planet and she didn't blame him.

"I'm okay," She said breathlessly. She handed the bowl to him, "Here. That's the rest of the food I cooked yesterday. I figured you might like it," She said.

He looked down at the bowl and then back at her, "I ain't takin' all yer food," He insisted.

She shook her head and refused to take the bowl back, "You're not. Please take it. If you don't eat it then it will just go to waste."

He stared at her for several moments and then he nodded, "Alright. Thanks."

She smiled at him, "You're welcome."

"Ya doin' alright?" He asked.

She wasn't sure how to answer that question. She had spent the better part of the morning on the phone with several different people including the funeral home. Throughout all of that she still hadn't cried or mourned Ed at all. She was beginning to think that there was something wrong with her. Granted, she wasn't feeling like going out and having a party, but she figured she would at least be sad. She wondered briefly if she was in shock, but she didn't know how to tell one way or the other. She just knew that there was stuff that needed to be done and she was doing it to the best of her ability.

The only thing that had altered her mood at all had been the realization that she didn't have a job and therefore there would be no more money coming in. She didn't know what to do about that. The car had been totaled in the accident so that left her without a vehicle as well. She had Ed's wallet from the hospital that the nurse had given her before she left so she had taken the money from it and she planned to go to call the bank later and check their balance to see how much money she had to live off of before she went completely broke. Luckily the funeral home was working with her to set up payments to pay for Ed's burial. She had went as cheaply as possible for the funeral, but it was still costly and would take her a while to pay it all back.

She sighed and realized that Daryl was still looking at her, "I'm...I'm not sure how I am to be honest. I'm not the least bit sad that my husband just died from a horrible car accident, but instead I'm terrified that I won't have a job to pay my electric bill next month," She rubbed her hands over her face tiredly. It was all so daunting.

"Sounds 'bout right," Daryl said.

She moved her hands from her face and looked at him blankly, "What?"

He shrugged, "Ya still gotta live right? I mean, so that's tha most pressin' issue at tha moment. Ed's still gonna be gone tomorrow, but you'll still be here. I mean, forgive me, but what I seen o' tha guy it don't seem like there's much ta miss," He said.

She stared down at her feet, "You don't know the half of it," She said softly.

He ran a hand through his hair and shoved his hands into his wet pockets, "I, uh, better be gettin' back inside. Got some paintin' ta do on some cabinets," He said.

She nodded. She had some more things she needed to get done as well like finding something for Ed to wear when he was finally buried and boxing up all of his things. She had decided she was going to donate them to the Salvation Army so that someone who needed them could use them. She didn't want the constant reminders surrounding her everyday. She also needed to contact Ed's boss and let him know that Ed wouldn't be coming back. There was so much to do and so many phone calls to make that she was getting a headache just thinking about it all.

"Well, I'll see ya around," She called out.

"Yeah. Thanks fer tha food," He said as he walked back towards his house.

She told herself not to look back as she walked towards her house, but it didn't work and she glanced over her shoulder. She blushed when she saw that he was looking in her direction as well and she threw her hand up in a wave to cover up the fact that she had been staring.

Once inside, she went to her room to change before heading back to the kitchen. She brewed a pot of coffee to keep herself going and sat down at the kitchen table with a notepad and a pen. She began making a list of everyone she needed to contact and bills that would need to be paid. When she was done, she looked over her list and sighed. She was going to need a really great job to make this work on her own. The only problem with that was that she had never finished college. She had met Ed in her second year and like an idiot she had dropped out to be with him. Nothing in her life had worked out as planned so far. She felt like the last nine years of her life had been a complete and total waste. She had nothing to show for it now except a mortgage and the clothes on her back. She had no vehicle, no job, and very little money.

For the first time since learning of Ed's death, Carol cradled her head in her arms and cried.


	9. Chapter 9

_Thanks again for all of the wonderful reviews! I'm pleasantly surprised by the positive reaction that I am receiving for this. I know there are a lot of Caryl fics out there and I can't tell you how honored I am that you all are choosing to read and review my story as well. Thank you. _

_Here's a slightly longer chapter for you all!_

**_**I do not own The Walking Dead or any of its characters and all of that legal mumbo jumbo._**

* * *

The shrill sound of the phone ringing woke Carol up from the dead sleep she had finally fallen into sometime in the night. She rubbed her eyes and glanced at the clock on the wall. It was already nine o'clock in the morning and she couldn't believe she had slept that long. She yawned as she picked up the phone and pressed it to her ear.

"Hello?" She mumbled.

"May I speak to Carol Peletier?" A male voice asked.

Carol perked up slightly, "This is she," She responded.

"Hi Carol, my name is officer Rick Grimes and I work over here at the sheriff's department," He explained.

"Is this about Ed's car? They told me it was totaled in the accident when I called yesterday. I've already contacted the insurance company to report it," She said quickly.

"That's good, but it's not why I'm calling. We were removing the car from the scene when one of our officer's spotted a trace of blue paint on the car. Upon further study we've come to the conclusion that there's reason to suspect foul play involving Ed's death," Rick explained.

Carol's eyes widened and she covered her mouth with her hand, "Foul play?" She whispered. "You mean like someone hurt him on _purpose_?" She asked.

"Yes ma'am. We are still conducting several tests and such, but that's why I needed to inform you. We've already had the coroner run a series of tests on Ed after he passed on to rule out drinking and things of that nature. His blood alcohol level was below the legal limit so he hadn't been drinking."

"Oh my," Carol sat down in one of the kitchen chairs, gripping the phone in her hand tightly.

Rick cleared his throat, "I would really like to ask you some questions about this if I could. I know you've got a lot going on, but I promise not to take too much of your time. Do you think you could drop by the station?" He asked.

It took Carol a few minutes to process that he had asked her a question. She was still reeling from the news that someone might have been trying to purposely kill Ed. She glanced over at Daryl's house next door, but he wasn't home. Then she remembered that he had probably had to go back to work today since the holiday weekend was over.

"I, uh, I don't have a vehicle, but I should be able to get a taxi," She said.

"Don't do that," He said quickly. "Listen, I've got to drop something off by my house to my wife, then I can swing by and pick you up. I'll take you where you need to go in exchange for you answering some questions for me. How does that sound?" Rick asked her.

Carol figured that that way was probably best. She didn't have a lot of extra money to sink into a taxi anyway and traveling all over town would get expensive quick that way, "That sounds fine. I'm going to need a few moments to get myself together," She said.

"Sure. Take your time. Like I said, I have to stop at the house and drop off something for the wife and then I'll swing by your place."

Carol nodded even though Rick couldn't see her, "Okay, that's fine. I'll be ready. Thanks," Carol said before she hung up.

She sighed and looked around the room before getting up and going to get herself ready for the day.

* * *

Daryl was on his last bit of paperwork for the day and he was glad of it. He normally didn't have so much paperwork to do, but with the holiday weekend and the extra days off of work, the paperwork had piled up a bit on him. He had been stuck in his office for most of the day working on it. He was determined to get it done before five o'clock so that he didn't have to worry about it in the morning.

Aside from the paperwork the day had gone smoothly so far and looking at the clock he realized that time had sped up on him when he wasn't looking. It was almost four thirty and he could hear the guys in the garage winding down for the day. More than likely he would be the last to leave because of the paperwork, but he didn't mind so much. It wasn't like he had anyone or anything to rush home to. All that was waiting for him at home was a beer and some form of frozen substance that required the use of a microwave. His mind vaguely drifted over the prospect of grilling something for dinner, but he hadn't decided yet. There was a small grill that sat on the back porch that looked as if it hadn't been used in some time, but Daryl was pretty sure it would still work. There weren't a whole lot of ways that you could mess up a basic charcoal grill.

He sighed and chewed on his thumb as he signed his name to several forms and stamped them with the date they were received. He glanced up as he heard a knock on his door.

"Come in," He called.

Tyreese stuck his head in the door, "Hey boss, just checking to see if you needed us to do anything before we go?"

"Did'ja put all tha tools back where they go? Ya know we hafta keep a count o' all those tools in there," Daryl said.

Tyreese nodded, "Yep. Just finished putting them all back. She's clean and ready to go."

"All tha customers gone?" Daryl asked.

"Last one left at twenty after four," He replied.

Daryl nodded, "Alright. You guys go ahead an' head on out. I'll lock up over here," He told the man.

Tyreese smiled at him, "You got it. See you in the morning boss!" He waved and shut the door behind him.

Tyreese was still fairly new to the team, but Daryl thought that he was doing a fantastic job. He was great with the customers and he didn't mess around when it came to getting the job done. Daryl liked that about the man.

He quickly filled in several figures on the last sheet then signed and stamped it as well. He set the stack of papers to the side so that he could file them in the morning and then unbuttoned his shirt and laid it on the back of his chair. He always wore a tank underneath the button up shirt that was a requirement for the supervisors. It was the one part of the job that he particularly didn't care for at all, but he was willing to make sacrifices for the paycheck it brought.

He flipped off the light and walked out of the office, shutting the door behind him. He walked quickly around the bay, inspecting it for anything out of place and then shut off all of the lights. He walked outside and reached into his pocket for a cigarette before locking the exit door behind him. He stood there a minute to smoke his cigarette before heading around the side of the building to where he parked his truck. He had just rounded the corner when he heard the noise.

At first he thought he might have imagined it, but then he heard it again and he stopped to look around for the source. He crossed over towards the building and found a dog crouched down beside the drink machine that sat there. He glanced around the lot, but didn't see another dog or person anywhere around. The dog whimpered again and Daryl kneeled down to get a better look.

"Hey there lil' guy. Where's yer owner?" Daryl asked softly. Surprisingly, the dog inched forward on its belly until it was just several inches from Daryl. "Yer not a dog at all, are ya? Yer jus' a puppy," Daryl said.

He looked around the lot again to see if anyone was nearby that might be looking for the puppy, but again there was no one. The puppy appeared to be all on its own. Its paws were so huge that it almost looked as if the paws had grown two times as fast as its body and now they were just waiting on the body to catch up. The puppy was black with a tan belly, legs, and paws. It stared at Daryl as if trying to get a feel for who he was. Daryl stretched out his hand and the pup stared at it curiously before inching forward enough to lick it.

Daryl sighed and stubbed out his cigarette on the ground. He stood up and then looked down at the pup. He didn't need a dog and he didn't even know if he could have a dog in the new place, but he knew that he couldn't just leave the pup all alone in the parking lot. He wished that someone was nearby that might be able to take it, but it seemed as if everyone had vanished right at five o'clock. Against his better judgment he leaned down and picked the dog up in his arms.

"Don'tcha ass bite me," He muttered as he carried the dog over to the truck. The dog trembled slightly and stared up at Daryl with its big puppy eyes and Daryl shook his head. "Ya ain't gotta be scared o' me. I'm gon' take ya home with me, but first I gotta make a stop and get'cha somethin' ta eat. We'll figure tha rest o' this shit out over a beer and dinner, okay?" He asked as he set the dog on the passenger seat and got in behind the steering wheel.

The dog tilted its head like it was listening to him and Daryl cranked up the engine, pulling out of the parking lot to head towards the pet store down the street. For the night at least, it seemed as if he was going to have a houseguest.

* * *

By the time Rick dropped Carol off back at her place, she was exhausted. Between all of his questions, he had taken her to every place that she needed to go. She had stopped by the bank first to straighten out the bank account so that Ed's name was no longer on it and they were supposed to be sending her a new atm card in the mail. At the funeral home, she made sure that everything was set to go for the burial and she handed the director a check for the down payment on the funeral. Everything was set to bury Ed the next day and she thanked the man before leaving.

In between the stops Rick asked her about any friends that Ed had and she tried to answer all of his questions as honestly as possible. She wasn't sure that Ed _had_ any friends at all. He also asked her about enemies and she wanted to laugh because there probably wasn't a single soul in the whole state of Georgia that Ed _hadn't_ pissed off at some point in time. After all was said and done, there wasn't a whole lot that she had been able to tell Rick and she felt bad for having him take her all over town when she hadn't really done much for him.

"Don't worry about it. I'm going to head to his place of employment and talk to his boss and coworkers. I'm sure something will turn up. In the meantime, just keep your eyes peeled. Until we find out more about the whole situation and the possible motive behind it, you need to be careful," Rick cautioned.

Carol turned to look at him as he pulled into her driveway, "Do you think whoever went after Ed might come after me?" She asked.

"We can't rule out any possibility at this point. I just want you to be on the cautious side. Make nice with the neighbors and let them know if you're not home and they see someone suspicious to call us," He said.

Carol shivered even though it wasn't cold out, "Okay."

Rick smiled at her, "Look. I'm sure it's probably nothing. It may have been a hit and run by some random stranger for all we know at the moment, but you can't ever be too careful," He said.

She nodded and opened the car door, "Thanks for taking me around today," She said.

He shrugged, "Thanks for answering my questions."

She gave him a small smile and got out of the car. She waved as he backed up and drove off down the street. She saw Daryl's truck pass by the cop car and she stood there a moment as he pulled into his driveway. She had intended to just wave and go on inside of her house, but he waved her over. Curious as to what he wanted, she headed across the lawn to his truck as he opened up the passenger door.

A small bark drew her attention to a puppy sitting in the cab of the truck, its tongue hanging out of the side of its mouth happily. She watched as Daryl scooped the puppy up and then grabbed a bag of dog food along with a grocery sack from the floorboard. He kicked the door to the truck shut with his boot and then turned to her.

"Ya know anythin' 'bout dogs?" He asked.

She looked over at the pup nestled in his arms and smiled at it, "Somewhat. I love dogs," She said. "May I hold it?"

He shifted the dog a little and then passed it over to her. She held the puppy up in front of her, "You're all paws!" She said and laughed. "And you're a female too!" She said with a giggle as the pup started peeing. She set her down quickly so that she wouldn't get wet.

Daryl looked down at it, "It's a female? Damn I forgot ta check. I picked up this damn blue collar. I reckon' she'll have ta make do with blue," He said.

The pup sat down on Carol's foot after it finished using the bathroom and Carol knelt down to scratch behind her ears. The puppy leaned into her hand and she cooed at it, "You like that don't you?" She asked the puppy. "You picked out a good dog. German Shepard's are supposed to be very smart," She told him.

He frowned, "I ain't pick 'er out. Found 'er up at work. Weren't no one around an' I didn't want ta jus' leave 'er there. Figure I'll put up some kinda notice when I go back in the mornin' in case tha owner comes around," He said.

Carol laughed as the pup licked her nose, "You poor baby!" She crooned. She glanced up at Daryl and found him watching her with a small smile. He shifted and it disappeared as he caught her looking and she stood up.

He motioned towards the road, "I saw tha cop car leavin' out. Everythin' alright?" He asked.

She sighed and then shook her head, "The police seem to think that Ed's death wasn't an accident," She said.

Daryl let out a breath and frowned, "No shit! Someone have it out for him?" He asked.

She chuckled sarcastically, "Who didn't?"

He shook his head sadly, "Damn," He said.

She glanced down at the pup who was watching the exchange between the two of them with mild interest, "So I was wondering if maybe you could keep an eye out for me sometimes when I'm not here? Maybe let me know if you see someone suspicious around the house?" She asked.

"Ya think someone might be after ya too?" He asked with a frown.

She shrugged, "I don't know. Officer Grimes seemed to think it would be a good idea if I let my neighbors know so that everyone could keep an eye out. He said it was more than likely a hit and run, but he didn't want to rule out the possibility of it not being an accident."

Daryl shifted the bag of dog food, lifting it to his shoulder, "Best not ta take any chances. I need ta give ya my cell number in case ya have a problem. I'll make sure I keep an eye out for ya," He said.

"Thanks Daryl."

He nodded, "Ain't no problem. Hey, uh listen, I was plannin' on throwin' a couple steaks on tha grill for dinner tomorrow. Was wonderin' if maybe ya wanted ta join me? To return tha favor for all tha food ya brought me," He added.

"Ed's funeral is tomorrow," She blurted without thinking.

He immediately went a little red in the face, "Yeah. Shit, I don't know what I was thinkin'. Ya ain't got-"

"But I'm free afterwards," She interrupted him.

He looked at her, "Yeah?" He asked.

She nodded, "I'll bring something. Do you like salad?" He made a face and she laughed. "I'll take that as a no. What about baked potatoes?"

"Alright. I get off at five so we'll say 'bout seven?" He asked.

She smiled, "See you at seven."

"See ya," He said. He looked down at the dog and patted his leg. "Come on then," He said. The pup stood up and began trotting after him and Carol shook her head as she made her way across the yard back to her house. _The man was already good looking enough and he had to go and get a dog on top of it?_


	10. Chapter 10

_Hello again! I've been rather busy here so I'm sorry that this update took so long to get uploaded. I'm not crazy about it, but we'll see how you all like it. Again, I am humbled by your reviews._

**_**I do not own The Walking Dead or any of its_ characters.**

* * *

Daryl woke up from a deep sleep when his alarm clock sounded off and rolled over to find himself staring into the face of the pup who had managed to work her way into his bed sometime in the night. He sighed as she rested her head on her paws and licked his nose.

He reached out a hand and rubbed between her ears, "Didn't I make ya ass a bed on tha floor?" He asked the pup.

The pup just looked at him with big brown eyes and he sighed before sitting up and resting his feet on the floor. He yawned and reached down to grab his shorts and shirt from their pile on the floor. He padded into the kitchen and measured out the coffee, the clicking of toenails following along behind him. The pup sat down on his foot as he turned on the coffeemaker.

He stared down at her, "Whatcha want?" He asked.

The pup whined a little and tilted her head as if she were trying to answer his question. Daryl pulled his foot from underneath the impressively heavy puppy and stepped backwards into a warm puddle. He grimaced and looked down at his wet foot.

"Did'ja piss on tha floor?" He asked the pup who just looked at him in response.

Daryl sighed and grabbed some towels to wipe up the mess. He looked at the puppy before making his way down the hallway for a shower, "Don't tear nothin' up," He said sternly. He shook his head as he went to take his shower. He had a feeling that it was going to be a very long day.

* * *

By the time five o'clock rolled around, Daryl was pretty sure he wasn't cut out to be a dog owner. The puppy had pissed, shit, and chewed on just about everything she could get her paws on in his office. He had posted a sign up about the dog just in case someone was looking for her, but so far he had had zero response. He took off his collared shirt and hooked the leash to her collar before locking up the office. Tyreese was standing just outside smoking a cigarette as Daryl walked out.

"Ya sure ya don't want a damn dog? You can have all tha shit I done bought," Daryl said to the man.

Tyreese chuckled, "I can't have pets. I stay in an apartment and it's against their policy."

Daryl came to a stop and reached into his pocket for a cigarette as the pup sniffed around on the ground.

"You think of a name for her yet?" Tyreese asked.

Daryl shook his head. He had been avoiding trying to name the pup because then it would feel like he was going to keep her and he knew that he wasn't. "Nope. Was kinda hopin' someone would come for 'er," He replied.

"Keep on dreaming man. It happens all the time. People can't afford to take care of their pets and just drop them off hoping someone else will take them in," Tyreese said.

As much as Daryl didn't want the dog, it didn't mean that he didn't like animals. He liked them well enough, but he just didn't think he wanted the added responsibility right now. He was hardly at home and he knew that puppies required a lot of care and attention that he just didn't think he had. He couldn't imagine how someone could just drop off an animal and leave them there, not caring if they lived or died though.

He shook his head in wonder, "Damn shame's what it is. Hell I ain't even sure if I can have pets. Never asked," He said.

"You might want to ask then. You don't want the landlord finding out the hard way."

Daryl nodded. He supposed that if no one called about the puppy by tomorrow afternoon he would be making a phone call to Hershel Greene.

* * *

Carol let herself into the house after paying the cab driver and flopped onto the couch. Besides her, there had been two other people at the graveside service that had been held for Ed. She was pretty sure that the two other people were men that Ed had worked with at some point. It was really real now. As she had watched the men lowering the casket into the ground, she had thought she might feel the slightest twinge of sadness, but there had been nothing. She hadn't even shed one single tear over Ed. There had only been an overwhelming sense of freedom as the dirt began to pile on top of the casket.

It had been a long, drawn out, day and she wanted nothing more than to just pig out on junk food and try to forget everything that was going on in her life at the moment. She stood up and stepped out of her shoes before making her way into the kitchen. She had just opened the fridge when she heard the sound of Daryl's truck rolling in next door. Then she remembered they were supposed to have dinner this evening and she was supposed to bring baked potatoes.

"Shoot!" She whispered to herself.

She couldn't believe she had forgotten all about it. She hadn't been able to sleep at all the night before for thinking about it. She rummaged in the wooden bin beside of the counter and picked out two potatoes. As she washed them in the sink she began to daydream about him again. She had caught herself on a number of occasions playing through different scenarios in her mind. Daryl was the first hint of a friend that she had had in a long time and she wasn't sure if it was because of that or something else that she found herself insanely drawn to the man.

She sighed and finished prepping the potatoes before heading down the hall to rummage in her closet for something to wear. She had a little over an hour to get dressed, but it didn't seem like enough time. She was suddenly unsure how much effort she should put into her outfit. She hadn't done anything like this in longer than she cared to think about. A part of her was excited, but another part of her was terrified all at the same time. She was about to have dinner alone with a very attractive man in his home this evening. She groaned and leaned her head against the closet door.

* * *

Daryl popped the top off of a bottle of beer and took a swig. He settled into one of the chairs on the back porch while the steaks simmered on the grill. He wasn't sure how she liked her steak so he was just cooking it medium well the same as he ate his. The pup was lying on the porch next to his feet and Daryl rocked his chair back on two legs while he waited.

When the pup's ears perked a bit and she let out a soft bark, Daryl figured Carol was making her way over. He walked inside of the house and found her at the front door holding a pan covered with aluminum foil. He opened the door for her so that she could enter.

"Hi. I hope I'm not too early, but the potatoes were done and I didn't want them to get cold," She said.

He gestured to the counter and she set the pan down. "Yer not too early. Tha steaks are almost done. Didn't know how ya liked yers so I jus' cooked it like mine," He said.

She smiled at him, "That's fine. I didn't know how you liked your potato so I brought over a little of everything."

She blushed and uncovered the pan to reveal sour cream, cheese, and bacon bits. His stomach growled and he didn't realize how hungry he actually was. She glanced around with a frown, "What happened to the puppy? Did someone come for her?" She asked.

He blinked and then remembered he had left her on the porch unsupervised, "Shit!" He hissed and took off through the living room to the back porch. He flung open the door and let out a relieved sigh at seeing the puppy still lying in the same place he had left her. He smirked and reached down to scratch behind her ears, "I reckon' ya ain't so bad," He murmured.

The door opened behind him and Carol stepped out. Her face brightened as she saw the puppy lying on the porch and she instantly knelt down beside him to stroke the dog. Her scent drifted over to him and he thought she smelled of apples. He stood up quickly to check on the steaks again.

"Did you name her yet?" Carol asked.

He glanced over his shoulder at her and the dog, "No. Wasn't gonna name 'er. Figured 'er owners would be comin' back for 'er."

"So what do you call her?" She asked.

Daryl flipped the steaks and closed the lid before turning back around. He shrugged, "Don't really call her nothin'."

"What about Ginger?" Carol asked. "She's got to have a name."

Daryl frowned, "Too girlie," He replied.

Carol tapped her finger against her chin as she thought, "Okay. What about Roxi? You can call her Rox for short," She suggested.

Daryl turned the name over in his mind. He nodded. He figured he could do that. At least it wasn't as girlie as Ginger. Ginger made him think of _Gilligan's_ _Island_ and he didn't much care for that show.

"Roxi it is then," He said. He held up his empty beer bottle. "Ya want a beer?" He asked.

She stood up and then nodded, "Sure. I'll get it," She said and they both made a grab for the door at the same time. He snatched his hand back quickly as it brushed hers by accident. He could feel his face growing hot at the contact.

"Have a seat. I've got it," He gestured to the other chair that was on the porch by the small patio table.

She immediately sat and he went inside to grab two beers. While he was in the kitchen he also picked up the plate of baked potatoes. He carried everything out to the back porch and set it on the table. He gestured to the table before turning around to head back into the kitchen and grab everything else, "I'm gonna go get tha plates. Be right back," He said.

Once he had everything set on the table he turned to the grill and removed the steaks, placing them on their plates. "I feel like I should be doing something to help you," Carol remarked from her seat at the table.

Daryl shrugged, "Ya did. Ya helped me name Roxi here an' ya brought tha potatoes. I reckon' ya did plenty," He said.

Carol smiled and shook her head as he sat down, "So tell me about yourself Daryl," She said.

He tensed as he cut into a piece of steak. He hated these types of questions. He never really knew what to say about himself. Somehow he just didn't see the topic of his childhood abuse as good conversation. "Not too much ta tell," He cleared his throat.

She nodded, "Do you have any brothers or sisters?" She asked.

He finished chewing a piece of steak, "I got a brother. He's in prison though."

Carol stared at him wide-eyed before responding, "I'm sorry to hear that," She said.

He shrugged, "No big deal. Serves him right. Ya do tha crime, gotta pay tha time, right?" He asked.

Carol took a swallow of her beer and looked at him, "That's true. I hope they can figure out who caused Ed to run off of the road," She commented.

"Might take a while. Seemed like tha type o' guy that had more enemies than friends," Daryl said. He wondered about the two of them. Carol seemed so much different than Ed. She didn't seem as if she had a mean bone in her whole body and the more he talked to her, the more he was curious as to how they had made it work for so long. He didn't want to pry though so he would leave it alone unless she brought it up.

"He was," Carol said softly.

She didn't elaborate and Daryl figured she was done talking about it so they continued eating in a peaceful silence. When they were done, Carol began to stand and clean off the table, grabbing up dishes and beer bottles.

Daryl sighed, "Ya ain't gotta do that," He insisted.

She ignored him and carried the dishes inside anyway, setting them on the counter. He followed her inside with Rox right on his heels. He stood in the doorway of the kitchen and shoved his hands into his pockets. She turned to look at him over her shoulder, "I don't mind doing this. _Really_," She said.

He stood next to her and stacked the dishes onto a rack to dry as she rinsed them off. Working together, it didn't take long before they were done and she gathered up her pan that she had brought over with her.

"I guess I should be getting back," She said.

"Here. We'll walk ya back. Gotta let 'er take a piss anyway," Daryl said.

He grabbed up the leash he had for the dog and they headed out of the front door, making their way slowly over to her house. Roxi pulled on her leash as she tried to sniff at everything and she lifted her leg on a couple of bushes as they walked. It was quiet out and several streetlights provided a soft path of light for them across the lawn. All too soon they found themselves on her front porch and he waited while she unlocked her door and turned on the light. She leaned down and stroked the pup, giving her soft kisses goodnight.

She turned to Daryl and smiled at him, "Thanks for dinner. It was good," She said.

He shrugged, "Yeah, it was."

"Maybe we can do it again sometime?" She suggested.

He thought about that. It had been nice to have some company while he ate and she hadn't been too chatty either. He had actually had a real nice time tonight.

Daryl nodded, "Yeah. Sounds good," He glanced towards the street and then he remembered something. "Ya got a piece o' paper? I'll write my cell down for ya in case somethin' happens," He said. She disappeared inside of the house for a moment and then came back with paper and a pen. He scribbled his number down on the paper and handed it back to her. "Well, I'll see ya," He said.

She nodded, "Goodnight Daryl."

"Night," He tugged on Roxi's leash and she followed along behind him down the steps. He paused at the bottom until he heard the click of the lock sliding into place and then he made his way back to his house, Roxi trotting along beside him.

* * *

_Reviews are greatly appreciated and quite addictive. ;-)_


	11. Chapter 11

_Once again, I am flattered by the reviews and pm's about this fic. We're moving right along with the story and I hope you enjoy this chapter just as much as all of the rest. Thank you_

**_**I do not own The Walking Dead or any of its characters._**

* * *

As the days passed by, the worry that Carol had been feeling over someone murdering Ed began to fade. She hadn't heard anything from the police regarding the situation and she was happy to just push the memory far from her mind. She had more pressing things to worry about like bills. Bills didn't stop coming just because a person passed away and Carol was quickly finding herself overwhelmed with more bills than she had the money to pay them with.

She knew she would have to find herself a job, but the only problem with that was she didn't know where to begin. They didn't live close enough to town that she could walk to a job and she didn't have money to afford a cab to work everyday. She sat at her kitchen table and stared down at the bills spread in front of her. The numbers glared at her in bold print and phrases like _"Past Due"_ and _"Final Notice"_ flashed in front of her eyes. There were bills that realistically she could let go like the cable and car insurance since she no longer had a car. She debated on dropping the phone line, but then decided that she needed a way to get in touch with the police and everyone else in case of an emergency.

She rested her forehead in her hands and let out a deep sigh. Even dead, Ed was still coming back to haunt her. Apparently there were credit cards that she didn't even know about, but were now due arriving in the mail as well. She needed to call and tell them what had happened and see what needed to be done about the balance on the cards. She shuffled through the bills and decided that the most important was the electricity and set it to the side. She had just enough to pay it for this month, but that left her with barely thirty dollars to her name and she still had to eat. There was also the mortgage on the house, but there was no way she could afford that five hundred dollar payment. The worst part of it all was that they were almost done paying the house off and she was going to potentially screw it all up by asking for an extension. She set that paper to the side as well. She still had a few more days to think on that one.

Drumming her fingers on the papers, she racked her brain for a solution. She picked at her nails distractedly and then paused, staring at her fingers. An idea came to mind and she flipped through the phone book until she found the number she was looking for. After a brief conversation she hung up and then dialed the number for a cab. She gathered her things together and prayed that this would come through for her. She could really use some good luck in her life.

* * *

Daryl tried to concentrate on the steady stream of business coming in and out of the shop, but his thoughts kept drifting. He had left Rox at home today so that he could concentrate on getting work done without having to constantly tend to her. They were becoming more accustomed to each other and she was getting a little better about going outside to use the bathroom instead of in the house. Daryl didn't know much about German Shepherds, but she seemed really smart and it didn't take her long to catch onto things. She also loved to eat. Daryl couldn't believe how fast she was growing and he hadn't even had her a month yet.

He had placed a call to Hershel Greene a few days ago and the man had surprisingly been fine with the fact that Daryl had a dog. He had even chuckled as Daryl had asked him if he himself wanted a pet. Hershel turned him down though and told him that he should feel honored to be the owner of a German Shepherd because they were such great dogs.

It had been one week since he had had Carol over for dinner and he found himself glancing her way often. She hadn't been outside much and he figured she must be busy with taking care of whatever it was people had to do after someone had died. Work had been swamped the past week with people bringing in their vehicles for tires and tune ups before they took last minute vacations. Daryl didn't mind it though and in fact he quite enjoyed it. He loved keeping busy.

He had made his routine trip into town to the post office yesterday before work to send Merle some money. He sent a little more than his usual amount and figured it would hopefully last him a while since it would be a while before he could get back to see him. Sometimes his brother would call him on his cell phone, but not very often. Inmates had to buy phone time to do that and from what Merle had told him once, it was very expensive. Merle wasn't one to write letters either so the only time they really had any interaction between them was when he went to visit.

"Hey boss, we're headed out okay?" One of the guys in the shop, Miguel said to him.

Daryl blinked and then looked at the clock to see that it was five o'clock, "Shit. Where did tha time go?" He asked.

Miguel laughed, "I don't know chief, but wherever it went, I'm glad it's gone."

Daryl smirked, " Alright, yeah, take off. I'mma close up here an' be right behind ya," He said.

Miguel nodded and headed out with Tyreese and a couple of the other mechanics they had on duty today. As the door closed behind them, Daryl noticed how quiet it was without all of their chatter. He shook his head to clear his thoughts and busied himself on doing last minute checks before he headed home to see what kind of mess he would be facing.

* * *

Carol waited on the other side of the glass counter while the man examined her wedding band. She didn't have an engagement ring because Ed had been too cheap to buy her one, but her wedding band was platinum and she was hoping she could get some money from it by selling it to the pawn shop.

Dale Horvath was the most honest pawn shop owner in the area and he had known her since she was a teenager so he had been the first person she had called about the ring. He glanced at the ring through his magnifying glass and then back at her carefully.

"Are you s_ure_ you want to sell this Carol? I can pawn it for you instead. That way if you change your mind, you can always come back and get it," Dale asked for the hundredth time.

Carol nodded, "I'm sure. You said I would get more money if I sold it, right?" Dale nodded. "Well then that's what I want to do. Ed left me with a pile of bills and no car and I'm barely holding my head above water," She explained.

Dale sighed and then removed the magnifying glass and set the ring to the side. He reached under the register and handed her a form, "I'll need you to fill this out stating that you agree to sell it to me and sign it," He said. "I'll get your money for you."

Carol nodded and quickly signed the form without even glancing at it. She didn't really care at this point. There was no sense in being ashamed. She needed that money and that band meant nothing to her. If anything, she was glad to be rid of it. It definitely didn't symbolize love or happiness. She slid the paper back across the counter and Dale handed her the money. She frowned as she counted through all of the bills in her hand.

"Dale?" She asked as he filed the paper behind the counter.

"Yes?" He asked carefully.

"I think you gave me too much. This is four hundred dollars. There's no way Ed paid that much for my wedding band. Even if he did, you can't be making much money off of it by buying it for that much," She said.

Dale shook his head as he leaned against the counter, "It's platinum and very good quality. Four hundred is a steal for me," He insisted.

She narrowed her eyes. Dale had always been a bad liar. "Dale, I don't need charity. I know you're overpaying me for this ring and I can't let you do that." She attempted to hand him some of the money back but he shook his head and backed away from the counter.

"No. It's a done deal now. And it's not charity when it's for a friend in need. If our situations were reversed, I know that you would do the same for me. It's not much, but maybe it will hold you for a little longer," He said.

Carol's eyes misted with tears at the gesture, "Are you absolutely sure?"

He waved her away, "Stop that now. You go on and get out of here. Take that money straight home and put it away before someone tries to jump you for it. It's not safe for a woman to carry that much money on her. Go on. I'll call you a cab," He said.

Carol shoved the money into her jeans pocket and nodded while reaching across the counter to squeeze his hand, "Thank you," She whispered.

He smiled back and patted her hand, "You're welcome."

She exited the store and walked to the bench to sit and wait for the cab. Her reflection in the window of the shop next door caught her eye and she gasped at how she looked. Her clothes were practically hanging off of her and outdated. Her hair was a mess and her eyes were red. She sniffed. She looked..._old_. She wiped at her eyes and sighed as she sat down heavily on the bench. Her eyes drifted towards the thrift shop across the street and she bit her lip before dodging traffic and disappearing inside.

* * *

Daryl opened the door to the house and was immediately greeted at the doorway by Rox who jumped up against his chest and stretched towards his face trying to lick him. He patted her on the head and glanced around at the house. From what he could tell, it appeared to be in the same shape that he had left it in. He gently pushed Rox down off of him and headed into the house to set his wallet and things on the counter. Rox trotted along behind him as he peered into the living room and then the bathroom. It was only when he entered his bedroom that he frowned. The only two pillows that he owned were torn to shreds and there were feathers coating the floor of his room.

Daryl groaned and banged his head onto the door frame in frustration. He could have sworn he had closed his room off before leaving, but he must not have pulled the door shut all of the way. He glared down at the pup who immediately began slinking away as Daryl shut the door. He would have to deal with it later. At the moment he was too tired to try to clean it. He grabbed her leash from its place by the door and headed outside to let her use the bathroom. He lit a cigarette as Rox paused at the first bush she came to and lifted her leg. She finally finished relieving her bladder and she tugged on her leash, leading Daryl around the yard behind her.

He was momentarily distracted by what to eat for dinner when Rox gave an excited bark and took off across the lawn, jerking the leash from his hands. He blinked and then cursed as he took off behind her. It was only when he rounded the house and saw Carol laughing on the grass with Rox on top of her that he stopped.

"Rox!" He scolded.

Rox straightened at his tone of voice and she backed off of Carol slightly. Daryl grabbed the end of the leash and stuck his hand out for Carol to grab onto. He lifted her up as she wiped at the grass on her shirt and pants and he was momentarily struck dumb.

This was _not_ the Carol he remembered from last week. Gone were the clothes that were three sizes too big and in it's place were snug fitting jeans and a shirt that actually fit. He was embarrassed to find himself so blatantly staring at her as she dusted herself off and he turned away before she looked back up.

"Sorry 'bout that," He muttered. "She gets excited."

Carol smiled and then leaned over to pet the pup who wagged her tail at the attention. "That's okay. She just missed me, didn't you Roxi?" She cooed.

Daryl watched the two of them with mild interest. Rox hadn't taken to any of the men at the shop like she had to Carol. He tried to keep his eyes off of Carol's figure and focus on the dog, but he kept straying.

He cleared his throat, "So how ya been doin'?" He asked.

Her smile faltered slightly, "I've been okay. Just trying to get caught up on bills and such," She replied. "What about you? Been busy at work? You never told me what you do for a living," She stated.

"I work at tha Dodge dealership off o' Henderson. I'm a supervisor there," He replied.

"Oh. So you're pretty good with cars?" She asked.

He shrugged and blushed slightly, "I do alright." He shuffled his feet. "Rox an' I was thinkin' 'bout what ta do for dinner an' I was thinkin' ta order a pizza," He stared down at his feet. "Ya wanna join us?" He asked.

She was quiet for several moments and when he looked up he found her smiling at him. She nodded, "I would love to. Let me just go inside and wash up a bit then I'll be right over. Should I bring anything?" She asked.

He shook his head, "Just yaself."

"Okay. I'll see you in a just a bit then," She replied.

He nodded and tugged on Rox's leash, "See ya."

* * *

_Reviews are great and not necessary, but are greatly appreciated all the same. :-)_


	12. Chapter 12

_Sorry this is so late coming out. I'm afraid that it might not be quite up to par with where I would like it to be, but I've been extremely busy all day and it's very late here. I do hope it's not too bad._

**_*I do not own The Walking Dead or any of its characters._**

**_*Brief mentions of violence in this chapter._**

* * *

By the time Carol made it over to Daryl's house, the pizza guy was just pulling away and he held the door open for her to come on inside. She had grabbed a bottle of wine that had been sitting in their cabinet for quite some time on impulse and she sat it on the counter as she entered. Roxi trotted over for another greeting as soon as she was inside the door and she couldn't resist petting the dog once more before having to wash her hands at the kitchen sink again.

"Wine?" Daryl asked with a raised brow.

She flushed, "I hope that's okay. I thought that since you provided the beer last time that I would bring something this time." She dried her hands with a paper towel as she watched him read the label on the bottle.

"Ain't never had no wine before," He commented.

She smiled, "You're kidding."

He shook his head, a small smile playing on his lips, "Nope. I ain't even that big a drinker. That's more my brother than me. I'll give it a shot though," He said.

She shook her head at him and peeled off the wrapping from the top of the bottle. Then she frowned, "I don't suppose you have a corkscrew then do you?" She asked.

He shrugged, "If'n I do, I don't know it." He reached into a cabinet and pulled out two plates for them. He gestured to the various drawers in the kitchen, "Yer more than welcome ta look fer one," He said.

She opened up several drawers, searching for a corkscrew. She figured Hershel Greene was likely to have one if she could just find it. Finally she found one in the third drawer and she screwed it in and pressed the lever to pull the cork out with a soft pop. He handed her two glasses and she poured them both a full glass.

She eyed the small kitchen table, "Here?" She gestured to the table.

He shrugged, "Works fer me. Sit on tha couch an' Rox is liable ta take it outta ya hands," He said with a look down at the dog. She wagged her tail in response to hearing her name and he just shook his head at her.

Carol set the two glasses down and was surprised to see Daryl with the two plates when she turned back around. He handed one to her before taking a seat. She wasn't used to having a man help out, especially when it came to doing things in a kitchen.

She bit into her slice of pizza and groaned, "This is s_o_ good," She commented.

He merely nodded around a mouthful of his own pizza and they ate quietly for a few moments as they tried to satisfy their hungry bellies. She watched Daryl take a big swig of the wine and she held back a chuckle as he made a face.

She kept her expression serious as she asked, "What do you think?"

He grimaced, "Ain't too bad," He replied.

Carol couldn't contain her laughter any longer and it bubbled up out of her, "You're supposed to drink it slow. You sip it. It's better that way. Take some and swish it around in your mouth before swallowing," She instructed.

He took another smaller sip this time and she watched as he swished it around so vigorously that it sounded as if he was gargling mouthwash. She laughed again and gasped as a piece of pepperoni flew out of her mouth and landed on the table. Her face turned three different shades of red and she quickly jumped for a napkin to clean it up. She heard Daryl chuckle.

"Reckon' that's whatcha get fer laughin' at me," He said.

Carol smiled softly, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be rude. It's just..." Her expression grew a little sour as she thought about Ed and how he would have raged over her laughing and making a mess. "It's just been so long since I've laughed," She admitted.

Daryl took another sip of wine this time and eyed her over the rim of the glass, "Yeah, I imagine Ed wouldn't be tha type ta laugh at nothin'," He said.

She shook her head, "No, he wasn't." Carol totally ignored her earlier instructions to Daryl about how to drink the wine and she turned the glass up, downing the rest in one gulp.

Daryl raised a brow, "Drownin' ya sorrows?" He asked.

She sighed, "Ed was a class A _bastard_," She said.

He nodded, "Seemed like it."

She shook her head and pushed her plate of pizza away from her a bit. "No. You don't understand. I've kept this bottled up inside for so long and I need to get this out. He's not here now and I need to say it out loud," She said.

Daryl leaned back in his chair and waited, "Yeah. Do whatcha need ta do," He said.

Carol let out a deep breath. That was easier said than done. She wasn't even sure why she was about to unload all of this on him, but for some reason she just had to say it aloud. She had denied it to herself for most of their marriage because it depressed her, but she was done with that now.

"Ed was abusive. He beat me on numerous occasions and I believe that given the chance he would have killed me one day," She blurted.

Carol glanced up to see Daryl's reaction, expecting disgust, but his face was expressionless. He slowly pushed his plate away, "Good thing he's dead then," He said.

Carol watched as he stood up and carried his plate over to the counter. She looked down at her hands, knowing that she shouldn't have said anything. Daryl would probably think she was a fool or a complete idiot for staying with Ed for all of those years. Maybe she wasn't meant to have friends because she didn't even know how to do that anymore.

She was shocked when Daryl grabbed her arm and hauled her up from the chair. He was holding the wine bottle in one hand, "Come on," He said.

She stood up and followed him out of the kitchen and into the living room where he stopped to grab something from behind the doorway. He slung it over his shoulder and opened the back door for her to exit. Confused but curious she stepped out onto the back porch, Daryl and Roxi right behind her. He headed down the steps and she followed along behind him. He didn't stop until he was next to the woods and then he set the bottle of wine down on the grass before taking the contraption off of his shoulder.

"What are we doing?" She asked.

"This is a crossbow. Yer gon' shoot it," He said.

She stared at him in disbelief, "What?"

Daryl handed the crossbow to her and she took it, faltering slightly at the unexpected weight of it. He stood next to her and positioned her arms in what she assumed to be the correct position. His hands were warm and gentle over hers and she tried to focus on the task at hand instead of where her thoughts wanted to go.

"Alright. This here," He pointed at something on the top of the bow, "is where ya line up ya target. Ya wanna make sure it's between these sights here. When ya got it lined up, ya pull this trigger underneath," He moved her finger to the trigger then stepped back. "That's it," He said.

She cleared her throat, "I'm not sure I understand," She admitted. "What am I shooting at?"

He smirked, "Anything ya want. Except for me or Rox o' course," He chuckled a little. "It's a good stress reliever. See if ya can hit one o' them trees. Jus' imagine it's Ed's head ya aimin' at."

Carol snorted, "That's good motivation to hit the target," She joked.

She stretched her neck to the side, cracking it a little and then squinted between the "sights" as he had called them. She lined up a tree as best as she knew how and gently squeezed the trigger. The arrow shot out with a _thunk_ and she was amazed at the speed with which it was ejected from the bow. It flew past the tree and on into the woods where she couldn't see its final destination.

She winced, "Sorry!"

Roxi yipped behind her and whined excitedly, her tail twitching back and forth. Daryl picked up the bottle of wine and took a swig, "Try again," He coaxed. "Don't let him win."

Carol nodded and bit her lip as she lined up the tree again. This time she hit the trigger with slightly more force and she took a step back as the arrow shot through the air. It knicked the side of the tree, knocking off a piece of bark before falling to the ground. Carol stared at the tree and Ed's face floated into her mind. All of the times he had called her _trash_, _whore_, and _disgusting_. Her mind played through the time he had shoved her head completely into the water of the sink for a terrifying minute because she had been making too much noise while his TV show had been on.

"I wanna do it again," Carol said forcefully.

Daryl shrugged and she could tell the wine was starting to relax him. This time she took more time lining things up before squeezing the trigger. She was rewarded when the arrow stuck into the tree nearly missing it. She smiled and turned to Daryl who nodded approvingly.

"Hell yeah! Shoot that bitch!" He yelled.

She snickered and handed him the bow before grabbing the bottle of wine from his hands. She tipped it back, letting the smooth liquid run down her throat. She was mindful of the fact that her lips were touching the same spot that his had just been as she drank. Carol paused as she watched Daryl hold up the bow, his shoulders and arms bunched beautifully. He pressed the trigger and she blinked disbelievingly as the arrow sunk into the middle of the tree.

"Show-off," She teased.

He shrugged, "Years o' practice."

She swirled the bottle of wine and saw that there was enough left for one sip. "Here," She handed it to him and he turned it up, downing the rest of it.

He smacked his lips, "Reckon' this shit ain't too bad," He said.

She giggled, "That's because you're probably not even tasting it anymore. This was a big bottle and we didn't eat much. I think you're a little tipsy."

He scoffed, "Takes more an' that ta make me tipsy," He said. "Let's go eat some more damn food." He grabbed her hand and then paused as a red blush creeped over his face. "Uh...I ain't mean ta grab ya like that," He immediately dropped her hand and headed up the porch steps.

Carol stood there for a moment, staring after him. She had barely had time to register the contact when he had pulled away. She headed after him as he walked inside of the house with Roxi on his heels. She wondered why he seemed so freaked out about touching her, but she didn't push it. It wasn't like she needed that kind of relationship in her life right now. Daryl was wonderful and very good looking, but he was just a friend and it would be a long time before she thought about anything more with anyone.

She found him standing in the kitchen drinking a glass of water as she walked inside. She leaned across the counter and stared at him, "I'm not going to ask you what that was all about," She said. "But I do want you to know that I might be emotionally unstable right now, but I'm not going to break so if you need to talk about anything _ever _then I'm willing to listen. It's the least I can do since I unloaded on you like that. No pressure," She added.

He finished off his glass of water and set it down with a sigh, "I ain't ready ta talk 'bout it."

Carol shrugged, "Okay. That's fine. Just putting it out there," She said.

It was suddenly quiet in the room and she felt a tension that hadn't been there before. He cleared his throat, "Well I reckon' I need ta get ta bed. Got work early in tha mornin'," He said.

"Okay," She said. She really hoped he wasn't going to quit talking to her now. Maybe she had misjudged the situation somehow and now that he was sobering up, he was starting to think she was crazy. She headed towards the door and then stopped, turning around suddenly. He was right behind her and they smacked their forehead together before she could stop it. They both rubbed at the spot soothingly.

"I'm sorry," Carol said with a wince.

"It's alright. Been a long damn time since I been hit in tha forehead. Shit smarts," He replied.

"Yeah? When was the last time you got hit in the forehead?" She asked.

"Let's see...Merle's been in jail fer almost three years so...three years," He said.

She laughed as they stepped onto the porch, "Your brother does sound quite the character."

"Oh he's quite somethin' alright. Wouldn't really call it character though," Daryl said as he fished a cigarette out of his pack that was sitting on the porch rail.

Carol staggered down the steps slightly and he stepped forward as if to reach for her. She waved him off, "I'm okay."

He chuckled, "Yeah. Reckon' ya are."

She stopped in front of the porch and looked up at him as he leaned onto the railing, "You wanna do dinner at my place on Friday?" She blurted. "Just as friends of course. You can bring Roxi..."

She held her breath as he lit his cigarette and took a draw from it. "Alright," He agreed.

She smiled then and gave him a small wave, "Goodnight Daryl."

"G'night."

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_I am much appreciative of the reviews! Many thanks to all of you for sticking with me this far into the game and giving me a chance to tell my story. _


	13. Chapter 13

_A few notes before we begin: _

_This chapter deals with a lot of legal issues that I do not claim to have professional knowledge about. I would like to simply ask that you keep that in mind while reading and not hold me accountable for the sentences stated throughout the story about those legal issues. A lot of things I have to research and I can't always be sure that my information is 100% correct. That being said, this chapter is also a lot longer than my others and I hope that you find it enjoyable. _

_I appreciate everyone's comments as always and hopefully the next chapter won't take as long. I think we've gotten through a good bit of the heavy stuff for now and we can start moving on to greener pastures filled with rainbows and unicorns. :-) As always, reviews are not necessary, but are greatly appreciated all the same. Thanks!_

**_*I do not own The Walking Dead or any of its characters._**

* * *

Carol remembered exactly what she was doing when she got the phone call.

She had just started a load of laundry and she was in the process of moving all of her personal things into the guest bedroom when it happened. She had been mostly sleeping on the couch because the thought of sleeping in the bed where she and Ed had slept made her queasy. She couldn't stand to be in that room anymore so she had decided she would just take the guest room instead. She was halfway across the hall with a box when the sound of the phone ringing startled her and she dropped the box in the middle of the floor. Laughing at herself as she registered that the noise was just the phone, she headed down the hall to answer it.

"Hello?" She asked.

"Carol Peletier please," A female voice responded.

"This is she," Carol replied as she leaned against the counter in the kitchen and stared absentmindedly out of the window.

"Hi Carol. My name is Andrea Harrison. I work at the law office of Harrison and Frasier here in town. I was wondering if you might be able to come by the office so that I could discuss some things with you concerning your late husband Edward Peletier?" She asked.

Carol's eyebrows shot up at the mention of Ed. She wondered what it was that the woman could possibly want. "Sure. What time?" She asked.

"Anytime that is good for you is fine for me. I'm sorry that it's such short notice. If tomorrow would be better we can schedule it then?" Andrea asked.

Carol shook her head even though Andrea couldn't see her. Even though it was almost three she knew she wouldn't sleep tonight until she knew what this was all about. "I can come today," She said.

"Okay, great. I'll be in the office for the rest of the afternoon working on some paperwork so just ask for me up front when you arrive. Do you know where our office is located?" Andrea asked her.

Carol thought about it, but she couldn't quite place the name of the office or its location. She didn't think she had ever used an attorney before. "No I don't. I'm sorry," She replied.

"That's okay. We're off of Henderson Boulevard. We're across the street from the Dodge dealership if that helps," She added.

_Dodge dealership...Why did that sound familiar? _"Okay. I'm sure I'll find it. I'll see you in a bit. Thanks," Carol replied before hanging up. She stood there for a minute as the location nagged at her thoughts. She frowned and picked up the phone to call the taxi while she thought about it. She hated when she couldn't remember things sometimes and it mainly happened to her during times of stress.

Hanging up with the taxi, she headed down the hallway to gather her things.

* * *

When Carol pulled up at the law office and paid the taxi driver she finally remembered why the place had seemed so familiar to her. That was where Daryl had said he worked. She brightened a little at the thought of just dropping in to say hello to him and she glanced over at the lot of cars as she entered the building.

The inside of the law office was business-like, but cozy all the same. There was an impressive sized desk at the front as she entered and the waiting area was decorated with small love seats and several potted plants. There was a flat screen TV mounted to the wall and a basket of magazines next to a table that housed a coffee pot and a pitcher of water. She shook her head. _These people certainly must make enough money from cases to afford stuff like that. Must be nice,_ she thought.

She was interrupted from her thoughts by a perky looking blonde who stuck her head around the corner of a wall and smiled at her as she headed to the desk.

"I'm sorry about that. I had to dash to the back for a moment. What can I do for you?" The blonde asked.

Carol faltered for a moment as she tried to remember the name the woman had given her. _Lord, she was having a time of it today._

"Um, oh! Andrea Harrison please," Carol said.

The blonde smiled at her warmly, "And your name?"

"Carol Peletier."

The girl stood and gestured for Carol to follow her, "Of course, Mrs. Peletier. Andrea said she was expecting you and to bring you on back," She said.

Carol followed the girl down a hallway where she stopped just outside of an impressively sized office. There was another blonde seated behind the circular desk that sat in the middle of the room and Carol raised a brow at the similarities between the two of them.

"She's my sister," The young blonde whispered suddenly and Carol turned to see the young girl studying her.

Carol smiled, "I thought you two favored. I didn't mean to stare," She apologized.

The girl waved a hand in front of her, "Don't be silly. It happens all the time. My name's Amy by the way. Don't worry, Andrea will take good care of you," Amy said.

Carol couldn't help but like the girl given her perky personality and contagious smile. The sound of someone clearing their throat had them both glancing inside to see Andrea crossing from behind her desk to greet Carol.

"I see you've met Amy," Andrea said with a smile. "I hope she was courteous," She added with a glance at the younger girl.

"Always," Amy said and Carol didn't miss the fact that the girl stuck her tongue out at Andrea before leaving the office and closing the door behind her.

Carol turned to Andrea who stuck out her hand, "Sorry about that. She loves to joke around, keeps me on my toes," She said with a chuckle. "It's nice to meet you Carol. In case you hadn't figured out, I'm Andrea Harrison."

Carol shook her hand and Andrea gestured for her to have a seat and Carol did. She held her purse in her arms and fidgeted a little as she wondered what all of this could be about. Anything about Ed automatically made her nervous especially when it involved anything with the law. She watched as Andrea typed a few things into her computer and set some papers aside before reaching for a folder on her desk.

"I don't imagine you know why you're here," Andrea said as she glanced up at Carol.

Carol shook her head, "No idea at all. In fact, I'm extremely nervous that this might mean Ed did something horrible before he died and now I'm going to be punished for it," Carol admitted.

Andrea laughed, "No, no, don't think that! Lawyers don't punish people necessarily. That's what the judges are for," Andrea joked. "Seriously, there's no need to be nervous. Actually I think you are going to be quite happy with this visit."

Carol scooted forward in her chair a little, her heart racing, "Oh?" She asked.

Andrea nodded and placed a paper in front of Carol to which Carol's eyes immediately locked onto, "This is a copy of Ed's life insurance policy. As you can see, he was current with his premiums," Andrea stated and she pointed with a pen to a section on the paper.

Carol's eyes skimmed over the sections before she looked up at Andrea with a confused expression, "I'm not sure I understand what you're doing with it. Wouldn't I normally handle something like that myself?" She asked.

Andrea nodded, "Normally, yes. There's more to it though. You see, Ed also had a will. Granted it was very much outdated, but it's there. He made this will at this office, but at the time I wasn't partner here. I'm going to get to the will in a moment, but seeing as how there is an investigation going on right now about Ed's death then I figured you might not know about the life insurance policy. I saw that the bank account was primarily in Ed's name," She explained.

Carol nodded, "Yes, it was. He controlled all of our finances. I never saw a dime," She said.

"Well, I've been pouring over these documents and from what I can tell they are ninety-nine percent certain that his death was a homicide although that's all they will tell me at this point in time. To put it in simpler terms, what it all boils down to is that Ed has you listed as his primary beneficiary on his life insurance _and_ as the heir to all of his property such that it is. Basically, you're looking at coming into quite a bit of money soon. There are procedures that I can walk you through for the life insurance, or if you want I can handle it all on my end for a fee. As for the will, we will have to wait until that clears with probate to see about any monies due to you from it."

Carol frowned at all of the legal terms listed throughout the page. She didn't understand half of what the papers were stating nor was she sure that she was understanding Andrea right now. "I think I'm going to have to ask you to put that little more simply. A will? I didn't even know Ed _had_ a will," Carol said. She felt foolish telling the woman that she didn't know all of these things about Ed, but she really didn't. Ed had never said a word to her about anything like that.

Andrea looked at her sympathetically, "No problem. The will states that all of Ed's things shall go to you in the event of his death, but there's one stipulation on there. You only get to keep them as long as you agree never to remarry. If you _don't_ agree to the stipulation, then the house will be turned over to the state and put up for sale. It's a little odd, but it's all legal up to this point. I checked for some sort of loophole, but he seems to have had his bases covered. As soon as we get the death certificate from the state then we can start the process for the collection of the life insurance. If that passes smoothly, you're looking at a forty thousand dollar payout. I'm going to take a shot in the dark here and assume that you didn't know about Ed's second bank account?" Andrea asked Carol.

Carol blinked at the woman as her brain tried desperately to keep up with the flow of information. She was still reeling from the mention of the forty thousand dollars and the fact that even dead Ed was trying to screw her over with the stipulation about marriage. Granted she couldn't even think about marriage at this point in time, but what if someday she _did_ decide to marry? That would mean she would be homeless and she wasn't sure how to deal with that information.

"A second bank account?" Carol asked blankly.

Andrea nodded, "He had another account at one of the credit unions here in town. There's three thousand dollars in it, but you won't be able to touch it right now. Since there's a pending case on Ed's death, that account might get frozen and the will that we have for him may get shoved around a bit. I know this is a lot of information to take in at once and I would be more than happy to help you muddle through everything if you would like," Andrea offered.

Carol swallowed thickly and nodded, "I don't have any money to pay you right now," She said.

Andrea shook her head, "That's okay. I can collect from you when everything is settled. Anything to help."

"Okay," Carol answered. She stood up, suddenly wanting to leave and run away from it all. It was just too much. "Do I need to do anything today?"

Andrea pointed to a piece of paper and handed her a pen, "Just sign here that you are authorizing me to act on your behalf for the life insurance and anything else I need from here on out, I can just give you a call."

Carol took the pen and signed her name to the sheet of paper, barely giving it a glance. Andrea stood and they shook hands again before Carol headed towards the doorway.

"Oh!" Andrea said suddenly. She reached behind her to pluck a business card from her desk. "I almost forgot! Here's my card if you need to contact me. It has my office and cell number," She told Carol.

Carol accepted the card and stuck it into her pocket, smiling at Andrea one last time before she made her way down the hallway to the exit. She was glad that the perky blonde wasn't at her perch and she exited from the office quickly. Once she was outside she took big gulps of air and tried to get herself under control. After a few minutes, she realized that she didn't have a ride and she would have to go back inside to Amy anyway to use her phone. Her eyes drifted over to the dealership and she paused and glanced down at her watch. It was almost five and she wondered if Daryl was still at work and if he might give her a ride. Without thinking, she headed across the street and around the rows of brand new cars until she found the garage where the sounds of conversation amid clangs of tools dropping drifted out to her. She began to second guess her decision and just turn around when one of the men inside spotted her.

"Can I help you with something ma'am?" A tall, broad shouldered man asked her. He wiped his hands on a red shop rag as he stared at her. She wasn't sure why but she froze and she stood there with her mouth hanging open blankly until a familiar voice called out to her.

"Carol?" She looked up and into the piercing blue eyes of Daryl and she almost sighed with something akin to relief. He stared at her for a minute and when she didn't respond he frowned and grabbed her arm to lead her gently into what she assumed to be his office. He directed her to a chair and she sat dutifully, more than happy for someone else to take over for a bit.

He left the room momentarily and she heard his voice speaking softly outside of the door. He was back moments later with a bottle of water that he opened and handed to her, "Drink," He commanded.

She lifted the bottle of water to her lips and took several gulps before setting it down onto the desk in front of her. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have bothered you at work. I don't know what I was thinking by coming here," She rambled.

He perched himself on the edge of his desk and stared at her, "Ain't no big deal. Ya lookin' a lil' pale though. Everythin' alright?" He asked. She shook her head. Everything was _not_ alright. She wasn't sure if it would ever be alright. He looked at her for another minute before he stood up, "Somebody bring ya by here? Ya need a way home?"

She nodded mutely. She didn't trust herself to speak without crying at the moment so she just sat there. Daryl stuck his head out of the office door and called out to someone and then he came back inside and began unbuttoning his shirt. She stared at him as he shrugged out of his shirt and she saw that underneath it he had on a shirt with the sleeves ripped off much like he wore whenever she saw him at his house. He grabbed up a set of keys and then stopped next to her, "Come on, I'll take ya home," He said.

Carol stood up and followed him out of the office as he locked it behind them. The door that had been open a few minutes ago when she had walked up was now pulled shut and they exited through another doorway. He was quiet as they walked to his truck and she waited on the passenger side as he reached over to unlock the door.

"Thanks," She mumbled as he put the truck in reverse to leave the parking lot.

He dipped his head at her, "Don't see as how it's any inconvenience or nothin' bein' that ya stay right next door," He fidgeted with the steering wheel.

She remained quiet during the rest of the drive and thanked him politely as she exited the truck and headed to her house. She could feel him watching her as she walked away, but she couldn't stop. She was on the verge of tears and she barely made it into the house before they began sliding down her cheeks in tiny rivers. She slid against the closed front door and sat right in the entranceway while she cried. It was all too much. The second bank account, the money that seemed so great but came with a stipulation she didn't want, and the life insurance that she hadn't even known about. It was as if everything had been one big secret and she wasn't even sure what to do with all of that information. Finally her sobs started to fade and she wiped at her eyes with her hands as she climbed to her feet. The knock at the door scared her and she let out a startled yelp.

She opened the door and found Daryl standing there with Roxi next to him on her leash. He had two bottles of beer in his hand and he looked a little nervous about being there. She imagined that her face looked completely horrible and she wiped at it again although she was sure that it did very little to help it at the moment.

"I, uh, was jus' wonderin' if ya might want some company. Ya seem upset an' I ain't very good at talkin' 'bout emotions or nothin', but I can listen if ya need ta get it off ya chest," He offered.

She laughed shakily, "Is that all the beer you got?"

He appeared startled for a moment and then when he saw her small smile, he chuckled a little, "No. We gon' need some more?" He asked.

Carol thought about it for a moment, "Oh yeah."


	14. Chapter 14

_First of all, thanks so much for the reviews! They were greatly appreciated and your enthusiasm makes me smile. I was spurred on to get this chapter out because of all of you and I'm sorry it's not as long as some of the others. I wanted this chapter to stand alone though and I ended it where I felt it was necessary. This one is all in Daryl's POV as I felt it was time to visit his thoughts for a bit. I'm going to start working on the next and depending on how the muse works, it may or may not be uploaded by this evening. Don't hold me to it though, but I'll do my best. Reviews definitely help! I do so hope you enjoy Daryl and Carol's "drunken evening"._

**_*I do not own The Walking Dead or any of its characters._**

* * *

Daryl wasn't sure what he had been thinking when he had brought the beers over to Carol's house. He knew that something was clearly bothering her though and he couldn't for the life of him figure out what it was. After she had admitted to being abused by Ed, Daryl had figured that the man's death might bring some relief to her. He also wished he would have punched the bastard in the face instead of trying to be "neighborly" when Ed had been alive. He felt bad that she had apparently suffered at that man's mercy and the thought of anyone beating on a woman damn near made him sick to his stomach. As bad as he and his brother had been in their lifetime they both believed firmly that a man should _never_ lay hands on a woman, _ever_. It was, perhaps, the one truth that they had held onto throughout all of their years. Daryl knew all about being abused though and Carol was much too nice to have endured anything of that nature.

Daryl had never been one to comfort anyone in his life. The times that he and Merle had bad days they usually always ended up at a bar somewhere, drinking away their sorrows. So it was only natural that Daryl's first instinct was to grab up some beer and head over to her place. It wasn't until she had opened the door that he had started feeling like the idea was stupid. Drinking to forget was probably more of a guy thing than a female thing and he figured she would probably turn him down. He could tell that she had clearly been crying though and it made him nervous a little. She had suggested more beer and so he had walked back home and grabbed up the rest of the beer that he had stocked in the fridge and brought them over.

They were sitting on the couch in her living room and Roxi was lying on the floor by their feet with her eyes closed. So far, Carol hadn't said a thing and Daryl hadn't pushed the issue. They were working on their third beer together and he was just grateful that she hadn't cried any at this point. Crying women were not something that he was prepared to handle.

"I had a lawyer call me today and I went to meet with her at her office. It's across the street from the dealership which is why I walked over," Carol began suddenly. Daryl looked down at his beer and remained quiet as she fidgeted with her hands. "Ed had life insurance that I didn't know about. He also had a second bank account and a will. I'm going to be getting money from the life insurance, but the will is a different story," She paused to take another swig of her beer before continuing. "There's a stipulation in the will that says I can keep the house and stuff but only if I state that I will never remarry," She scoffed and Daryl could tell the beer was starting to work on her a little. She drained the rest of her bottle and stood up so quickly that Roxi huffed and darted quickly out of the way from her spot on the floor to avoid Carol's feet.

He watched as Carol walked into the kitchen and he heard a clang as she threw her empty bottle in the trash with the other bottles. He downed his beer while he waited on her to come back. He wasn't drunk by a long shot, but he was starting to get a good buzz going. Then she reappeared suddenly back beside him and he jumped a little at how quiet she had been. Not many people had the ability to sneak up on him. He was used to listening for the slightest noises when he went hunting which he hadn't done in a long time.

She handed him a beer and he accepted it with a nod, "Thanks," He said.

She smiled and flopped back into her place on the couch, except she managed to shift a little and now her knee was touching his thigh. He could feel the heat of her through the material of his pants. He took a big gulp of the beer as he tried to will himself to focus back on the conversation. He felt wrong for having those kind of thoughts about her when she was clearly under stress.

"Where was I?" She asked and then she snapped her fingers before Daryl could say anything. "Oh! So yeah, I can't remarry if I don't want to be homeless. Can you believe that?" She slurred slightly.

Daryl raised his brows, unsure if that was a rhetorical question or not, "Complete bullshit," He finally said.

She nodded in agreement, "Exactly! But I don't have to worry about that just yet because it's got to go through some kind of probate thingy first before we do anything else with it," She said.

Daryl shrugged and stared at her, "I say screw it an' keep tha house. Why remarry? I mean if ya ever decide it's that important to ya then save up ya money an' buy yaself another one. Didn't ya say ya gettin' money back from tha life insurance?" He asked.

"Yep. A big whopping forty grand," She replied.

Daryl's eyes widened and he choked on his beer a little, "Forty grand? Damn!" He whistled a little. "Ya shouldn't go 'round tellin' people that though," He warned. He couldn't imagine having that much money. He didn't think he had ever seen more than one thousand dollars at one time in his life and that was because he and Merle had pooled their money together to buy themselves a truck. He couldn't quite understand what she was so upset about at this point. The fact that she couldn't remarry was kind of dumb, but Daryl figured forty thousand dollars was enough to make him forget about that stipulation if it were him.

Carol waved a hand at him and giggled, "It's just you and I'm not worried about _you_ robbing me," She stated.

They sat in silence for several minutes and Daryl figured they probably should have had something to eat first before they decided to start drinking. Carol's eyes were looking a little glazed and he was starting to move a little beyond tipsy and more into "drunk".

Suddenly Carol leaned over close to him, her breath warm and smelling like beer, "He thinks he's won, he does," She said with about as stern as an expression as she could muster. "But I'll show _Ed Peletier_! I'm keeping the fucking house an' he can burn in hell where he belongs!" She slurred triumphantly.

Daryl fought back the smile as long as he possibly could, but it finally managed to break free. He had never heard her curse before and the bombs she had just dropped sounded awkward coming from her. Carol glanced at him from the corner of her eye, "What's so funny?" She asked.

"You an' yer cuss words. They don't sound too convincin'," He said.

She narrowed her eyes at him a little, "Ha! You just wait and see," She leaned over farther and he could feel her breasts pressed against his arm through the material of her shirt. He began to break out into a sweat. Feeling her knee was one thing, but now that he could feel her _breasts_ his brain was trying to shut down on him. "_Daryl Dixon_," She enunciated the last words so carefully that he felt wetness on his cheek from her efforts. She pressed her finger against his shirt as if to punctuate her sentence and Daryl glanced down at it with a raised brow.

She didn't remove her finger right away though. Instead she ended up flattening her whole hand against his chest and her lips parted slightly, "You're really...muscular," She slurred. Daryl nodded, his chest tight. He was struggling to focus on what was happening, but the room was dancing around him just a bit. He had no idea how they had gotten to this point. She was rubbing her hand back and forth slowly across his pectoral muscles and he was ashamed that he was actually getting turned on a little bit. "You're such a good friend," She sighed softly.

He turned and was surprised to find that her face was right there near his. He wasn't sure how it happened, but somehow her lips ended up being pressed against his and then she was kissing him. Her lips were warm and gentle on his, her hand fisted into his shirt. He swallowed hard and tried to kiss her back the best way he knew how. It was proving to be a little difficult when half-drunk and he was almost glad that she was more drunk than him so that she wouldn't remember how incredibly _bad_ he was at it. He hadn't kissed many women in his lifetime. In fact the amount of women he _had_ kissed was pretty pathetic for a man who was thirty-five years old. The kiss was slow and her tongue trailed lazily inside of his mouth, dancing around his for a few minutes. When she pulled away, she dropped her head to his shoulder, "Wow," She breathed.

He nodded and he was pretty sure his face was red, "Yeah."

They sat there in silence for several minutes until he finished his beer. He leaned over to set it on the table beside the couch and felt her head fall from his shoulder. He turned back around to find her fast asleep and he shook his head in wonder. He repositioned the couch pillow underneath her head and then covered her with the throw that he found on the back of the couch. She sighed in her sleep and snuggled into the couch, looking more relaxed than he had ever seen her before.

He knew that he should go home, he really did. He had absolutely no business staying there with her, but he couldn't bring himself to leave her. Knowing that she was drunk and trying to sleep it off left her too vulnerable in his mind to stay alone. So he grabbed one of the extra couch pillows and made himself comfortable on the floor. He had slept in worse places in his lifetime so he figured he could definitely handle one night on the floor.

He whistled softly at Roxi for her to come, but she remained still at her position next to the couch right next to Carol. He frowned at her, "Fine. Ya traitor," He said softly to the dog.

She merely stared at him and Daryl sighed and lay back on the pillow, staring up at the ceiling until his eyelids grew too heavy to hold open and they drifted shut.

* * *

_I can't promise you that sex is just around the corner, but that was my peace offering for now. Of course, Daryl is not experienced so the kiss was a little awkward and not magical as you would see in the movies. I'm trying to keep it as real as possible here. Would love to know your thoughts..._


	15. Chapter 15

_Hello everyone! Sorry it's taken me so long to update. Life has been rather chaotic at the moment and I'm afraid it's going to be a few days before I can update again after this. I just have a lot of things going on at the moment and simply no time to write like I want. Rest assured though that I'm not giving up this fic and I'll update at the beginning of next week hopefully. Thanks for sticking with me and for the simply awesome reviews. They are very addicting!_

**_**I do not own The Walking Dead or any of its characters._**

* * *

Carol woke up slowly, her face feeling like it was on fire. She cracked open one eye and then grimaced as the sun streaming through the window in the living room hit her dead in the face. She shifted and then groaned as her head throbbed as if someone was beating on it like a drum. She slowly came to the realization of what she and Daryl had been doing last night and she turned her head faster than she should have, a wave of dizziness sweeping through her at the movement. She searched the room with squinted eyes, but Daryl was no where to be found. A lot of the events from the previous night were a little fuzzy to her and she couldn't remember him leaving at any point. She struggled to sit up on the couch and glanced out of the window to see that his truck was gone from his driveway next door. A glance at the clock on the wall told her that he was probably at work and she wondered what was going to happen now.

As fuzzy as last night had been, she definitely remembered kissing him. She groaned inwardly at the thought of the drunken kiss. She wished she could remember his reaction to it, but she couldn't seem to dredge up the memory. _What if she had scared him off?_ _He probably thought she was crazy for kissing him._ She lay her head in her hands as her brain tried to process all of her thoughts. She swung her legs off of the couch and shuffled into the kitchen to try and start some coffee. She would be able to think more clearly with caffeine in her system surely.

After a few big sips of the coffee she started feeling more human again, but then several thoughts flooded her mind. She imagined that since Daryl hadn't left a note or anything then he must have been offended by the kiss or either she scared him off. She smacked her hand against her forehead and then groaned as the throbbing increased its tempo. Daryl was the first friend she had had in a long time and now she had gone and screwed it up for sure. _What was wrong with her?_ She had no idea what to do about anything anymore. She tipped her coffee cup up and drained the last bit of the caffeinated liquid warmth and stood up. She needed to take a shower and try to get her head together so she could figure out what she needed to do. She didn't want to lose Daryl's friendship for sure.

* * *

He slumped down into the seat of his truck and directed the binoculars towards the house that sat at the address he had been given. He had been watching the property for a little over an hour and so far he hadn't seen any movement anywhere. He had done some checking on the neighbors already and he knew that most of them worked during the day except for her. He figured she was in the house somewhere, but he wasn't sure so he had been sitting here waiting for some sign of life.

Finally he grew tired of the wait and slipped out of his truck and made his way through several backyards before entering hers. He kept his eyes peeled for any signs of movement at all times just in case. He had a cover ready in case he was spotted, but he didn't want to use it unless he had to just yet. He had a feeling he would need it later. He edged around the house and paused underneath the window in the living room. He stretched up slightly to peer inside and sighed in relief when he detected that it was empty. His eyes searched over the contents of the living room carefully, looking for some sign of it. He wasn't sure it had been long enough, but he had to make sure.

There was a throw that was lying bunched up on the couch and the indenture suggested that she might be sleeping there. He filed that information away for later use. His eyes zoned in on the two empty beer bottles sitting on her coffee table and he narrowed his eyes. _Was she celebrating? _There were two bottles, but he couldn't tell if she had had company or if they had both been hers. The sound of her phone ringing in the silence made him duck down beneath the window again. He waited and sure enough, several minutes later he heard her come down the hallway. The phone had already stopped ringing and he risked peeking over the ledge again.

She was standing in the kitchen with the phone in her hand and a towel wrapped around her waist. Her hair was plastered to her head and droplets of water dotted her face and arms. Instinctively he found himself growing hard looking at her and he stepped away from the window with a whispered curse at himself. He needed to keep his head in the game. He didn't come here to be distracted by pussy. Having seen enough for now, he exited the same way he had come through the yards and climbed back into his truck.

He would give it a little longer and then he would be back.

* * *

Daryl's eyes inadvertently drifted over to Carol's house as he pulled his truck into his driveway after work. He sighed. All damn day he had been distracted by the kiss they had shared. Every time he closed his eyes he felt her soft lips on his again and he had never been so distracted at work before. The guys at work had definitely noticed, but thankfully they had been so busy that there hadn't been much time for chit chat. Daryl had purposefully lingered in his office at closing time to avoid any questions from the guys about what was on his mind.

He sat in his truck for several minutes, wondering if he was supposed to go over there and offer her some sort of explanation or apology. He didn't even know if she would remember the kiss and if she didn't then he would feel ridiculous for bringing it up. For the first time in his life, Daryl Dixon was wishing that he had more experience when it came to women. He knew that Merle would know what to do, but Daryl would never ask his brother for advice about anything like that. He loved his brother, but Merle wasn't the type to just _give_ advice without throwing in a little something extra like sarcasm or teasing. He was thankful that his brother wasn't able to be around at the moment because Merle had an uncanny ability to read Daryl's thoughts sometimes and Daryl _hated_ that.

He opened the door of the truck and headed up the steps to his door. He could hear Roxi barking on the other side of the door and he shook his head at the dog. It was amazing how much the dog had grown on him. He still hadn't had any comments about the sign he had posted and he had let himself become attached to the dog without realizing that he was doing it. It was kind of nice to have something to come home to and Roxi was always excited to see him. She was slowly learning not to go to the bathroom inside and she was getting better at not chewing things up, but Daryl still had to close all the doors while he was at work.

He opened the door and Roxi leaped against him, yipping excitedly. He chuckled and rubbed her ears, "Ya miss me?" He asked.

She cocked her head to the side and stared at him. She had that way of looking at you sometimes that made Daryl think she could actually understand what you were saying. He turned and grabbed her leash from the wall before leading her outside. After holding her bladder for so long she was more than ready to be let out and he followed her around the front yard as she sniffed from bush to bush. Roxi never tried to escape from the leash or leave the yard, but Daryl was still wary of letting her run around without a leash. He reached into his pocket for a cigarette and lit it as she lifted her leg for the third time on a different bush. The sound of a vehicle approaching had him averting his eyes to the road and he watched as the vehicle pulled up behind his truck in the driveway. The car that pulled in was familiar to him for some reason although he couldn't quite place where he had seen it before. It wasn't until the drive got out of the car that Daryl's face split into a grin.

"Big D!" The loud voice boomed.

Daryl walked over to the man, grinning like crazy, "T-Dog! 'Sup man?" He asked as the big guy slapped him on the back.

"Nothin' much man. Just come to check out the new crib," He replied, but Daryl wasn't listening. He was too busy walking around the car that T-Dog had driven up in. He remembered now why the car had been familiar to him.

"Is this her?" Daryl asked him.

T-Dog nodded, grinning widely, "That's her. Cleans up nicely doesn't she?"

Daryl whistled as he stooped by the window to peer inside at the interior. He remembered the day that T-Dog had gotten the car. It had been severely neglected, but T-Dog was magic when it came to working on cars and he had fallen in love with it instantly. T-Dog had been a friend of Daryl's since they were teenagers. He was probably the only true friend that Daryl could admit to ever having in his lifetime and there wasn't anything they wouldn't do for each other if needed. Except T-Dog had moved out of town a few years ago to be with some woman and Daryl hadn't seen him since until now.

"How did ya find me?" Daryl asked.

T-Dog shrugged, "Your ass ain't hard to find. I've got connections," He said with a grin.

Daryl chuckled, "Sure ya do," He admired the car again. Painted black with two white stripes down the hood, it shined in all its glory in his driveway. "This thing sure is somethin'," He said.

T-Dog stared at it fondly, "Yeah. It took me a while to get up the courage to drive it," He admitted. "I've gotten a lot of offers to buy, but I'm not interested in selling."

Daryl frowned, "Hell no! Ya put too much work in it, ta jus' sell it! It's not every day ya see a seventy-seven Chevelle that looks this damn good," He said.

"So what the hell you doing over here for anyway? This isn't your usual type of neighborhood," T-Dog commented.

Daryl unlatched the tailgate of his truck and let Roxi jump up on the back while he sat down on the gate. T-Dog reached out a hand and coaxed Roxi over to him slowly and he rubbed her ears until she finally relaxed and leaned into his hand. Daryl took the last draw off of his cigarette and crushed it out on the truck, "Got me another job, saved up my money an' got tha hell outta tha ghetto," He replied.

T-Dog nodded in understanding, "I hear that."

"What 'bout you? Ya back ta stay or jus' visitin'?" Daryl glanced over at him.

"Stayin' man. That shit with Whitney didn't work out. Caught her in bed with someone who I thought was a friend," T-Dog shook his head in disgust. "I knew it was too good to be true."

Daryl didn't know what to say to his friend. He was working through his own woman problems at the moment and he definitely wasn't one to be dishing out advice on women. Just thinking about her had his eyes drifting over to her house and he wondered what she was doing and how she was feeling. He knew he was being a pussy by not just walking over there and seeing for himself, but he couldn't seem to force his feet in that direction.

T-Dog followed his gaze, "How about you? You got somebody?" He asked.

Daryl let out a deep sigh and then shook his head. "Nah. Jus' me an' Rox," He replied with a ruffle to the dog's fur. Roxi picked her head up from its spot on her paws and let out a big yawn like she had been hard at work all day instead of just sitting inside.

"Nothin' wrong with that," T-Dog paused. "Talked to Merle lately?"

Daryl shook his head, "Been a couple o' weeks. So far he's keepin' his ass outta trouble. He'll stay that way if'n he knows what's good for him," Daryl said.

T-Dog snorted, "Good luck with that one."

Daryl started to reply, but his attention was diverted to the sound of Carol's front door slamming shut behind her. He and T-Dog both watched as she walked out to her mailbox to check her mail, shuffling through the small bundle in her hands as she stood there. Daryl noticed she had on another pair of those jeans that seemed to hug her body and he couldn't help but openly stare at her. As if she felt his eyes on her, she glanced up and their eyes met. Daryl's breath hitched in his chest and he stared at her for several minutes until she lifted her hand up in a small wave. He returned the greeting and tried to decipher its meaning with no success.

T-Dog made a sound in his throat as they both watched Carol walk back across the yard and into her house. He turned to Daryl with a raised brow, "Friend of yours?" He asked casually.

Daryl punched him in the shoulder playfully, "Yeah," He admitted.

A slow smile crept onto T-Dog's face, "How good of a _friend_?" He asked.

Daryl wasn't sure how to answer that question as he still stared at Carol's house. They had shared numerous drinks together, conversation, and even dinner a few times. They had talked, but they hadn't really _talked_. There were still a lot of things that he didn't know about her and the same for him. The one time she had told him she would listen if he ever needed to talk had almost made him want to tell her things. He had almost shared with her things about his life growing up that no one knew, not even T-Dog, but he had been worried about scaring her off. His past wasn't something easily digested. As he sat there on the back of his tailgate, he could only hope that Carol would give him some kind of signal that everything was okay between them. Daryl didn't want to lose their friendship over a kiss even if that kiss had been the sweetest thing he had ever tasted.

* * *

_I would love to hear your thoughts. Thank you for reading and I hope everyone has a Happy Halloween! :-)_


	16. Chapter 16

_First off, I would like to say I'm absolutely honored by the responses to my Caryl one shot I posted yesterday. You are all so sweet and wonderful for leaving me such lovely reviews. I can definitely feel the Caryl love. It must have been what I needed to get this muse going as this chapter just poured out of me as my fingers flew over the keyboard. I figured it would be a good idea to get it out now before the show crushes me again so here it is. I love this chapter for so many reasons and I can only hope that you all enjoy it as well. Thanks for reading!_

_**I do not own The Walking Dead or any of its characters._

* * *

Daryl sighed and sank down onto his chair on the back porch with his beer. It had been a long week and he was glad that the weekend was finally here. Things had been crazy at the shop since they had started running a special on oil changes this week and he had found himself swamped with paperwork and invoices. The weekend couldn't have gotten there soon enough. The only thing that worried him was the fact that he still hadn't talked to Carol. Granted, it had only been three days since their drunken kiss, but it had been a long three days. He hadn't realized how accustomed he had gotten to spending time with her in the evenings. She was easy to talk to and she didn't make demands on him. Daryl liked that about her. Now he was starting to get worried that something was wrong because she hadn't come over. He hadn't made an attempt to go and see her either because he wasn't sure if he should.

Roxi whined softly and set her head on Daryl's knee as if sensing that he was stressed. He chuckled and scratched the dog behind her ears the way she liked, "Ya miss 'er too?" He asked the dog. Roxi cocked her head to the side as if in reply and Daryl shook his head at her.

He sighed and stood up to go grab himself another beer and see what he could scrounge up for dinner when there was a knock at the front door. Roxi shot off through the living room ahead of him, barking up a storm at the intruder. Daryl tossed his empty can in the kitchen trash as he passed through and opened the door to find Carol standing on the other side. He stood there for several seconds with a blank look on his face before catching himself and opening the screen door so that she could enter. He hadn't been expecting her to actually come by and as he looked down at himself he realized he hadn't even showered yet so he smelled like engine oil. He awkwardly kept a little distance between them so that she wouldn't be able to smell him. She smiled shyly at him and bent down to greet Roxi who was running in circles around Carol to get her attention.

Daryl shook his head at the dog, "Sorry 'bout that. She's excited," He gestured to Roxi.

Carol smiled, "It's okay. I missed her," She said.

Daryl watched as Roxi licked Carol on her face and Carol laughed. His gut clenched at the sound and he stuffed his hands into his pockets in an attempt to keep from fidgeting. "So, uh...How's things goin'?" He asked.

Carol stood up and glanced over at him, "Okay I guess. You?"

He nodded, "Same. Been busy at work. Runnin' a special on oil changes," He commented. He groaned inwardly at the comment. Carol didn't even have a car and he felt stupid for blabbing out useless information like that, but he was so nervous suddenly.

They both stood there silently for a few minutes as the awkward tension cloaked the room. Daryl could feel his palms growing sweaty and he tried to rub them dry in his pockets but it wasn't working. He shifted and decided to cross his arms instead.

"I-" Daryl began at the same time that Carol decided to start talking. They both blushed and Daryl gestured for her to go first.

"I made dinner," She blurted out. She clasped her hands together tightly and Daryl's attention was drawn to how small her hands were.

He raised a brow at her statement, unsure if there was a hidden meaning somewhere that he was missing. "That's good," He nodded. He felt like an idiot.

She giggled, covering her mouth with her hand, "No. I mean I made enough for two and I was going to ask you if you wanted to join me. I didn't know if you had eaten yet, but I saw you pull up not too long ago," She said quickly.

Daryl scratched his head and thought about the array of frozen dinners he had waiting for him in the freezer and her offer of a home cooked meal. It was no competition which he would rather have. "I ain't ate yet. Was jus' drinkin' a beer on the back porch. I need ta shower an' then I can walk over?" He suggested.

He watched as her eyes grazed over him and he struggled to keep his composure. She nodded gently, "Okay, that's fine. I'll keep it warm for you," She offered.

"Thanks. Shouldn't take me long. Ya sure it's alright? I could bring some beer or somethin'," He looked around the kitchen as he spoke.

Carol shook her head quickly, "It's fine. I wouldn't have invited you if it wasn't," She paused. "Maybe you should leave the beer at home," She suggested.

And there it was. He knew then that she remembered because of the way her face turned a bright shade of red when she said it. He felt like an ass for reasons that he wasn't sure of. He absentmindedly chewed at his thumb, "About the other night," He began.

Carol quickly interrupted him, "No, it's okay. Let's just forget it, okay?" Daryl blew out a breath and then nodded. "I'll see you in a few then? Make sure you bring Roxi with you," She added.

Daryl nodded again, wondering why he had suddenly seemed to lose his ability to speak. She slipped back out of the door the same way she came in and he stood there for several minutes before heading down the hall to jump into the shower. They had had dinner before so he didn't know why he felt nervous. For some reason though, this time it almost felt like a date.

* * *

Carol fidgeted with the dishes she had cooked as she rearranged them for the third time on the table. She knew she was being silly, but somehow the position of the dishes just seemed important at the moment. It had taken her all day to summon up the courage to go see Daryl. It had been three days and he hadn't made a move to see her. It was driving her crazy not knowing what he was thinking. He hadn't seemed upset about it or even bothered by her appearance at his front door so she thought that things were okay between them. Then he had mentioned the other night and she had seen the look of regret on his face and panicked. Carol had interrupted him because she didn't want to hear some made-up lame excuse as to why the kiss had been a big mistake. She didn't think her nerves could take it at this point so she told him to just forget it. To her surprise he had seemed relieved and she had mixed emotions about that. A part of her wanted him to just drop it, but another part of her, a _deeper_ part of her wanted him to do it again.

She sighed and busied herself with fixing two glasses of tea so that she wouldn't rearrange the food again. She had made pork chops, potato salad, and baked beans. It was way too much food for one, but it hadn't been accidental. She had been hoping she could get Daryl to accept her invitation since she had first thought about it this morning. She glanced up at the knock at the door and did one last check of her clothing before she headed for the door. She had settled for the "new" jeans she had purchased from the thrift store and a close fitting purple blouse she had found in the dark recesses of her closet while doing some cleaning a couple of days ago. She intended to open the door and welcome him on inside, but as soon as she saw him her words stuck in her throat.

He had Roxi's leash in his hand and he had on a pair of jeans with a simple white tee that showcased his arm muscles quite nicely. His hair was still damp and several strands were plastered to the side of his head. She could still see the fine sheen of moisture on his neck and forehead. She swallowed through a lump in her throat as her insides clenched and she gripped the doorknob so tightly her knuckles turned white.

"Ya alright?" Daryl asked her.

Carol blinked and refocused her thoughts before she embarrassed herself. She nodded, "I'm fine. Come on in. I just poured us both a glass of iced tea," She said quickly.

Daryl followed her inside and unhooked the leash from Roxi's collar so that the dog could wander around. He gave her a stern look and pointed his finger at her, "Don't go gettin' inta nothin'," He warned sternly.

Roxi's tongue lolled out of the side of her mouth and she panted up at him happily. Carol hid a smile behind her hand at the two of them. She imagined that as stern as Daryl looked, Roxi probably got by with doing lots of things she shouldn't. They both sat down at the table and Carol passed a bowl to Daryl.

"Help yourself. There's plenty," She stated.

Daryl eyed the potato salad and pork chops with interest, "Thanks for invitin' me. This is lots better'n a frozen dinner," He commented.

"I imagine so. Eating anything frozen wouldn't taste very pleasant," She said.

Daryl paused, "I don't eat it frozen. I microwave it first," He explained.

Carol laughed. He had clearly missed her attempt at a joke, "I was kidding Daryl. I know you don't eat it frozen and don't rave about it yet. You haven't eaten any," She said.

Daryl smiled halfway at her, "Don't matter. I've tasted ya cookin' before an' it was good. Don't see why this would be any different."

She noticed that he didn't serve himself any beans and she glanced over at his plate, "You don't like beans?"

He shook his head apologetically, "Not a big fan of 'em," He said.

"_All_ beans? 'Cause these are baked beans. They're a little sweet," She said.

He wrinkled his forehead as he thought about it, "Ain't never tried baked beans ta be honest."

Carol gaped at him, "What? You're kidding!" She picked up the bowl. "Here, you've gotta try some." She dipped a couple of small spoonfuls onto his plate and watched as he tentatively tasted a bite.

He chewed for a few seconds and then raised his brows in surprise, "Not bad," He remarked.

Carol grinned, pleased that he liked them. "Thanks," She replied.

The rest of the dinner passed by in pleasant conversation. They talked about his job and the nice car she had seen in his driveway a few days ago. She learned that it belonged to the man she had seen him talking to that was named Theodore, or "T-Dog", to his friends. She talked about how she wanted to rearrange the master bedroom and do some painting when she got the money. All in all, the conversation was kept neutral and neither of them mentioned Ed or their kiss.

It was only when Daryl glanced up at the clock and realized how late it was that he stood up from the table. Roxi was lying on one of the throw rugs that Carol had in the kitchen gnawing happily on a bone. Daryl rubbed the back of his neck and glanced around shyly.

"Guess I should be gettin' back. It's gettin' late," He commented.

Carol stood up too, "Okay. Thanks for coming to dinner. It gets kind of quiet over here. At first it was great to have all of the silence for a change, but now it's starting to get to me a little," She laughed softly.

Daryl chewed on the end of his thumb as was his usual fashion before replying, "I'm goin' up tha road a ways to a car show tomorrow. It's 'bout an hour's drive from here," He shifted and shoved his hands into his pockets. "Ya can come if'n ya want," He offered.

Carol was taken aback by the offer and she couldn't help but feel pleased that he had thought enough to include her along in his weekend plans. "Sounds like fun," She said. "What time?"

"It starts at ten so I figure on leavin' 'bout nine or so. We ain't gotta be there right time it starts or nothin'. T's got his car entered in tha show so he'll be there," He said.

Carol nodded, "Okay. Should I bring anything?"

He shook his head, "Nah, jus' yerself I reckon'," He replied.

"Okay. I'll meet you at your place at nine."

They both stood there for several minutes, the only sound being Roxi's crunching of her bones on the rug several feet away. Finally Daryl cleared his throat and beckoned at Roxi, "Come on Rox. Time ta go," He called.

Roxi got to her feet, the remains of her treat poking out of the sides of her mouth as Daryl connected her leash once again to her collar. He looked back up at Carol who was still standing by the kitchen table, "Well, I'll see ya in tha mornin' then. Ya goin' ta be alright?" He looked around the area as he asked.

Carol rubbed her arms and nodded. She would have to get used to being alone and all of the silence that came with it sooner or later. "I'm okay. I'll see you in the morning."

Daryl gave a little wave and then he and Roxi slipped out of the door. Carol still stood at the table, the silence once again closing in on her. She sighed and began working to clean up the kitchen. She doubted she would sleep well tonight in anticipation of spending a whole day with Daryl tomorrow.

* * *

_Thanks again for the reviews!_


	17. Chapter 17

_What lovely people you all are! I'm once again astounded by the response on my chapters. I'm glad none are too upset on the pacing of their attraction and feelings for one another. We'll get there all in due time trust me. This chapter was my longest yet I believe and really I could have kept going, but I didn't want to make it too long so I went ahead and ended it. I hope that it's as good as the rest! It always makes me a little nervous to post a new chapter. _

_**I do not own The Walking Dead or any of its characters._

* * *

Carol woke up at five o'clock the next morning and could not seem to make herself go back to sleep. She hadn't been able to fall asleep the night before until almost one AM and here she was waking up with only five hours of sleep. She knew she would regret it later, but she opened. She sighed and shuffled into the kitchen to start a pot of coffee. While that was going she made her way down the hallway to the bathroom. She figured if she couldn't go back to sleep, she may as well go ahead and get her day started.

As she let the steamy water run over her face and back, she thought about the events ahead of her for the day. She had never been to a car show before and she was actually quite looking forward to it. It would be nice to get out of town for a while and get a change of scenery. She was even a little excited about seeing the cars. She wasn't a big car fanatic by any means, but it was just something different for her to do. Ed had never taken her to do anything like it before. Her thoughts drifted to Daryl and she wondered if most of her excitement was stemming from the fact that she would be spending a whole day with the man. He _was_ rather good looking and she would have to be half dead not to notice. It was a mystery to her as to how he remained unattached by now. Under different circumstances, she would have definitely tried pursuing a man like him. But, she knew that it wasn't possible with her life as it was now. She was widowed, broke, and plain as far as looks went. She wasn't the type of woman that a man like Daryl would ever look twice at except as a friend. Their kiss had simply been a result of them both having drank too much alcohol on empty stomachs, that was all.

She stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around her before heading across the hallway to her bedroom to find something to wear. When she opened her closet she sighed. As her eyes trailed over her plain clothes, she suddenly wished for something more exciting to add to her wardrobe. Carol had always envied those women who could wear anything and make it look fabulous, no matter what it was. She had never considered herself someone who was very fashionable, but she did like to look nice. The only problem was Ed had never liked to spend money on clothes when he could spend it on lottery tickets or beer and her wardrobe was severely outdated. It was kind of depressing now that she really thought about it and she sat on the end of the bed and simply stared at her closet as if she could somehow magically make new clothes appear.

The sound of a door slamming brought her out of her funk and she crossed over to the window to peer out of the curtains. From the guest bedroom where she was sleeping, she could see Daryl's back porch and yard fairly well. As her eyes scanned for the source of the noise, she finally spotted the red glow of a cigarette on the back porch. She stood there for several minutes, not really being able to see him, but just comforted by the fact that he was there. She wondered what he was doing up so early. After a few minutes of looking, she pulled herself away from the window and began to get dressed. She ended up selecting another pair of thrift shop jeans that she had bought, but hadn't yet had the courage to wear. They were a little tighter than what she would normally choose, but she had liked the design on the back pockets so she had picked them up on a whim. Now she wasn't so sure about them because she thought she might be too old to be wearing stuff like that. She slipped them on anyway and grabbed a light blue blouse to go with it. The only makeup she owned was some concealer and a tube of lipstick that she had bought one day that Ed knew nothing about. The color had called to her and she had felt a little daring buying the red lipstick that she knew she would never get to use. Until now. Reaching into a little box that she kept her earrings in, she selected a small pair of silver hoops and put them in. Then she lightly applied a coat of the red lipstick before stopping to take a look at herself in the bathroom mirror. She bit her lip and was half tempted to just rub everything off, but forced herself to keep it on. Ed was no longer around to tell her what she could and couldn't do and she was determined to try and get a little enjoyment out of her life now.

By the time she finished fussing with herself at the bathroom mirror and drank a cup of coffee, it was time to head over to Daryl's house. Summoning her courage and hoping she didn't look like she was trying too hard, she locked her house and headed across the yard to Daryl's.

* * *

Daryl was woken up at five thirty in the morning by a wet tongue licking his face. Groaning and turning to bury his face in his pillow, he pushed at Roxi with his arm. But Roxi was insistent and she burrowed her head under the crook of his arm and snorted at him. Finally he realized that she wasn't going to give up and he sat up on the side of the bed and rubbed his face to wake up. Slipping on a pair of loose fitting sweats that hung a little around the hips, he glanced down at her.

"I reckon' ya gotta piss, huh?" He asked her. Roxi barked up at him and danced around, her tail wagging excitedly. Daryl snorted, "Ya got too much damn energy for this early in tha mornin'. Don'tcha know it's Saturday?" He asked her as she followed him through the house to the back porch where he let her out and then settled into one of the chairs to smoke. It was still slightly dark out, but there were tinges of pink starting to paint the horizon as the sun started to wake up. As he smoked, he thought about how he had asked Carol to basically spend the day with him. He had just kind of blurted it out at the last minute to break the silence and he couldn't believe she had actually accepted. It wasn't that he didn't want her to go, it was more the fact that he didn't really know what the hell he was going to do. Having her with him on the drive there meant he would have to find something to talk about and he wasn't good at that kind of thing.

He blew out a puff of smoke and stubbed out his cigarette before opening the door to let Roxi back inside and together they went back inside of the house. He poured some dog food into her bowl and popped a frozen burrito into the microwave for himself. A few minutes later, he sat down with a cup of coffee and his burrito and ate while gazing at the TV before taking a shower. By the time he got out of the shower he saw that it was after eight already and he cursed as he hurried to throw some clothes on. Carol would be heading over soon and he needed to get his ass in gear. He walked over to his dresser and dug around for a shirt and pants. Throwing them on, he made sure his bedroom door was shut so Roxi couldn't destroy it before letting her out once more. As soon as she had finished her business outside, he grabbed his wallet and headed out front to wait on the porch for Carol. He had just turned around to light a cigarette while he waited when he spotted her already standing at the truck.

She waved at him, "Morning," She called.

Daryl nodded at her as he walked down the porch steps. He found himself at a loss for words as his eyes coasted over her. He shifted a little, trying to ignore the way her jeans hugged tight to her ass.

He swallowed, "Mornin'," He rasped. He stuck his unlit cigarette back into his pocket and climbed into the truck. It was going to be a long day.

* * *

Daryl was silent most of the drive, having turned the radio on to a rock station that drifted through the speakers of the truck. Carol snuck several glances in his direction, wondering if she should attempt some type of conversation, but chickening out. Her eyes were drawn to him and his quiet focus as he drove. His forearms flexed slightly when he gripped the wheel and it was everything she could do to keep from blatantly staring at him. She fidgeted in her seat and wondered if she had put too much thought into her clothing. She didn't want him to get the wrong idea and think that she thought this outing was some type of date or something. Carol picked at a piece of lint on her jeans as if her life depended on the task. The day was beautiful and the sun was shining. The temperature wasn't too overwhelmingly hot, but it was enough to make her sweat after a while of driving with the windows down.

It was only as they turned into what Carol assumed to be their destination that Daryl spoke, "Ya hungry?" He asked.

Carol glanced at him. She hadn't eaten any breakfast, but it wasn't really time for lunch yet either. She tried to mentally calculate how much money she had and the thought was depressing. She really hadn't thought this whole day through very well. "I'm fine," She lied.

Daryl pulled the truck into a parking spot and killed the engine before looking at her, "Ya eat breakfast?" He asked.

Carol nodded, "Of course." _Coffee counted as breakfast, right?_

"Alright. Well lemme' know if ya get hungry. They usually have booths set up with food," Daryl commented.

Carol nodded as they exited the truck and she fell into step beside him, "Okay."

There were lots of classic cars parked in multiple rows as well as antique trucks and vendors. There were also a lot of people in attendance and that surprised Carol. Granted this was her first show, but she hadn't realized it would be so popular. They walked from car to car, and she asked Daryl questions about them. He began talking to her more and she could tell that he was excited about the whole thing at the way his eyes lit up when he would tell her about the car they happened to be looking at. Some of the cars were really nice and even Carol had to admit that she enjoyed seeing the creative things that some of the owners had done to them in preparation for the show. She found herself drawn into the excitement, feeding off of Daryl's energy. The more they walked, the more he talked and pretty soon they were chatting pretty easily and he even smiled at her a few times.

They had only looked at maybe half of the cars in attendance when Carol heard someone shout Daryl's name, "Daryl!"

Daryl turned and threw up his hand and Carol finally spotted the man he had referred to as T-Dog a couple of rows over. "Yo T!" Daryl called. Then Daryl did something that took her a few seconds to process. He grabbed her hand and began pulling her along behind him, "Come on. I'll introduce ya," He said.

She let herself be pulled by him numbly as he weaved them through the crowds. His hand was rough and warm against hers and she wished he wouldn't let go. Unfortunately as soon as they were through the crowd and standing in front of T-Dog, Daryl let go. Carol blinked quickly to bring herself back to the current situation.

"Why hello there miss, I don't believe we've met," T-Dog smiled at her and held out his hand. "I'm T-Dog, or T, whichever you prefer."

Carol reached out to shake his hand, immediately drawn to him by his warm smile and easygoing spirit, "I'm Carol," She replied.

"So tell me Carol, what's a beautiful lady such as yourself doing with this redneck?" He teased with a nod at Daryl.

Carol smiled and looked over at Daryl to see him giving T-Dog a look. "Oh, he's not so bad and I'm not that beautiful," She blushed.

T-Dog waved her comment away, "First off, you _are_ beautiful and he _is_ that bad," T-Dog laughed as Daryl shook his head.

Carol blushed again as the two men began talking about cars. Her mind began to drift away from their conversation because she didn't understand a lot of what they were talking about. She looked around at all of the people wandering about admiring all of the cars. Carol would have thought it would be mostly men that came to car shows, but she was surprised to see a good deal of women in attendance as well. She was so caught up in her survey of the crowd that she didn't notice the man who had stopped to stare at her until he was right in front of her.

"Well, well, if it ain't Carol Peletier in the flesh. What are you doin' out here sugar?" A male voice drawled.

Carol cringed as she recognized the owner. It was one of Ed's sleazy friends, Paul. If you could have ever called anyone Ed's friend that is. Paul had been over to their house several times to drink and watch the game with Ed. He had also made several passes at her that in turn had gotten her a beating because everything had always been her fault with Ed. Ed had accused her of flaunting it to Paul and teasing the man. She had done no such thing and she despised Paul. He was overweight and he didn't have proper hygiene habits. Even now, she could feel herself backing away from him as he leered at her. She hated how nervous men made her feel. Except for Daryl. She had always felt comfortable around him.

"I'm just here with a friend," She said quickly.

Paul smiled at her, "Real sorry to hear about Ed. If you need somebody to help you out at the house, make sure you give me a call," He said.

Carol cringed inwardly, "I think I'm okay. Well it was nice seeing you," She said in dismissal and began to turn, but his hand shot out and grabbed her by the elbow. She had flashbacks of him doing the exact same thing to her in her kitchen a year ago when he had cornered her against the cabinets and tried to shove his tongue down her throat while copping a feel of her breasts.

"Hey now, I ain't done talking to you yet. I think we should go out sometime and reminisce about the old days," Paul suggested with a sleazy smile.

She could feel herself begin to shake. Before she could comprehend what to do, Daryl was standing next to her, his eyes on Paul's hand that gripped her elbow. "Problem?" Daryl asked her.

Carol couldn't speak. She managed to get herself together enough to yank her hand out of Paul's grip and she glanced down at the ground. _This couldn't be happening. Not here. Please not in front of Daryl._ She could feel Daryl's eyes on her for a moment, but she couldn't look up to meet his gaze.

"I don't believe anyone invited you to the conversation. Me and Carol here were just having a little chat. We go way back," Paul said.

"Didn't much look ta me like she was chattin'. Looked like tha conversation was over if ya ask me," Daryl said.

"Well I _didn't_ ask _you_," Paul sneered.

"No, but I'm tellin' ya. She doesn't wanna be bothered," Daryl said.

"Well then maybe I'll bother _you _instead," Paul replied.

Carol felt Daryl brush past her gently and she looked up to see Paul and Daryl face to face. She began to panic, but T-Dog was there quickly, his voice low and cold as ice when he spoke, "Best be movin' on. We don't want any trouble here. Got me?" T-Dog asked.

Paul looked between the two men and then at Carol who inadvertently stepped behind Daryl. "Hmph. Ain't worth my time anyway. She ain't nothing but some dried up piece of pussy anyh-"

Paul's words were cut off by the sound of Daryl's fist striking him in the jaw. The big man fell to the ground and Daryl stood over him, his fists clenched by his side. He stared down at the man, "Better watch yer mouth asshole," Daryl spat.

The punch had attracted the attention of several people, but no one stopped to offer any input or get in the middle of things. In fact, after everyone saw that there wasn't going to be any more than the one punch, they started drifting away as if nothing had happened. T-Dog maneuvered Daryl away from the man and guided her and Daryl over to the far side of the lot. Daryl lit a cigarette and Carol gasped when she noticed blood on his knuckles.

"Daryl! You're bleeding," She cried.

Without thinking she grabbed his hand and used her shirt to wipe the blood from his hand. She could feel the tension radiating from him. "Ain't nothin' but a scratch," He replied.

T-Dog leaned against one of the trash barrels they had placed nearby and stared at Daryl, "Been a long time D," He commented.

Carol wondered about the comment, but she didn't get a chance to question it before Daryl took his hand back. "I'm alright. Ain't nothin' ta fuss over," He said softly. "You okay? Didn't hurt ya did he?"

She shook her head, "No. I'm fine," She replied.

"Yeah. Ya keep sayin' that," He remarked.

They stared at each other for several minutes before T-Dog cleared his throat and they both looked away. Carol really hoped that this hadn't ruined the day and she was embarrassed about Daryl coming to her rescue. He would probably never ask her to go anywhere else with him and she wouldn't blame him.

He surprised her when he threw down his cigarette and snuffed it out with his boot, "Let's go get somethin' ta eat. I'm starvin'."

* * *

_Thanks for reading. I truly enjoyed all of your reviews._


	18. Chapter 18

_This chapter fought me a little bit, but once I got it going I think it came together nicely. Or so I hope. I'll let you all be the judge of that. Once again, I appreciate deeply, the reviews, follows, and favorites for the story. I'm honored and I hope you continue to enjoy it._

_**__I do not own The Walking Dead or any of its characters._

* * *

Dusk was settling in as Daryl pulled his truck into the driveway, his headlights washing over their houses as he put the truck in park and switched off the engine. He had had a pretty good time today and he really wasn't in a hurry for the day to end. They had all had a good time talking as they had eaten and afterwards, he and Carol had walked around and looked at the rest of the cars entered into the show as well as the exhibits. They had stayed until the winners were declared and T-Dog had managed to take home a third place ribbon for the best in show category. Daryl hadn't even given a second thought to the incident from earlier when that guy had harassed Carol. Luckily they hadn't run into the guy again because Daryl knew that T-Dog wouldn't have been able to pull him off of the guy so easily a second time. It made him angry when men tried to harass women and Carol especially didn't deserve that kind of treatment. It was bad enough that she had had to put up with it with Ed, much less having to deal with some asshole who wasn't.

"Ya got a few minutes? I need ta let Rox out," He said as they exited the truck and walked around to the front bumper. He reached into his pocket for a cigarette and lit it, sending smoke curling into the air.

Carol nodded, "You think I'm in a hurry to go back to that dark and quiet house?" Carol laughed.

Daryl jogged up the steps and barely got the door unlocked before Roxi rushed up to him and jumped against his legs, her tail wagging excitedly. He chuckled, "Ya think I weren't comin' back? Come on, let's getcha leash," He said.

She danced around a little as he grabbed the leash and hooked it to her collar. She practically pulled them both down the steps with her pent-up energy. Roxi sniffed once at Carol before making a mad dash to the bushes and Carol laughed. Daryl stared at her relaxed features and thought about how pretty she looked when she laughed. He leaned next to her against the truck as they watched Roxi go from bush to bush marking her territory.

"I had a good time today. Thanks for inviting me," Carol said.

Daryl shrugged, "Yeah no problem. I had a good time too," He commented. They were quiet for several minutes, silently enjoying each other's company as Daryl smoked his cigarette. He couldn't remember a time when he had felt so relaxed and he didn't want the feeling to end.

"I can't believe it's been a month today," Carol said suddenly.

Daryl glanced at her as he stubbed out his cigarette, "A month?" He questioned.

Carol nodded, "Since Ed died."

Daryl thought about it. He supposed that it had been a month since the bastard had passed. He hadn't even noticed the time slipping away from him, not that he cared one bit about Ed's death, but he knew that Carol would never forget it. It marked a day of freedom for her. "Be right back. Can ya hold 'er leash for me?" He asked.

Carol nodded and their hands grazed as she grabbed the leash from his hand. He turned quickly and made his way into the house. He was looking for something he had picked up in the parking lot at work the other day. Spotting it on the counter, he grabbed it up and carried it back outside hoping it wasn't stupid. He crossed over to her and held out his palm to her.

She squinted at it in the dying light, "What is it?" She asked.

"It's Jasper. Found it at work tha other day," He said.

She looked at the rock and then back to him, "Is this for me?" She asked.

Daryl shrugged, "Yeah," It reminded him of the blue in her eyes, but he thought that might be too cheesy so he didn't add that in. "Ya see," He held open the palm of her hand that held the Jasper while he talked. "Jasper is an opaque rock that can take on any color stemming from tha things 'round it. At least, that's what I always heard anyway. Figured it fit ya, ya know, bein' that ya kinda takin' on a different color now that Ed's gone," He explained nervously.

He cleared his throat and let go of her hand. He watched as she stared down at the rock and then back at him in amazement. When she tilted her face up again, the light from the street showed him the tears streaking down her face.

"Aw shit," Daryl said.

* * *

Carol stared at the blue rock in her hand and then at Daryl as he explained to her why he had picked it up. She had never had anyone think that much of her to pick up anything like that. The significance of the gift touched her and it meant as much to her as if he had spent a million dollars on it. Just the fact that he had thought about her at work sent a little shiver through her and before she could stop it, she began to cry. At first she looked down at the rock and tried to think of a way to hide her tears, but they flowed so freely she didn't think that it was possible to hide it so she glanced back up at him.

"Aw shit," Daryl muttered.

Carol swiped at her eyes with the backs of her hands, "I'm sorry," She said a bit shakily.

"Ya ain't gotta take it if'n ya don't want it," Daryl said.

Carol sniffed and stared at him in disbelief, "Are you kidding? I love it!"

Daryl chuckled as fresh tears poured out of her eyes, "Got a funny way o' showin' it. Never did understand how women cry over happy shit," He said.

Carol snorted and playfully shoved him. It caught him off guard and he stepped backward a step. "Ya askin' for it woman," He teased and she froze.

She immediately covered her mouth with her hand, "I'm so sorry Daryl. I didn't mean to shove you so hard," Carol explained quickly.

She started to turn away, Roxi's leash still in hand, but Daryl grabbed her wrist gently. "Hey," He said softly. "I ain't gon' break. I ain't meant ta scare ya neither," He said.

Carol worked to calm the erratic beating of her heart. It was just Daryl she kept telling herself. She couldn't believe how she had reacted. Of _course_ he had been teasing. She was just so damn jumpy after all of those years with Ed that she couldn't even joke around anymore without freaking out. The thought was depressing to say the least. She hated it.

Daryl's hand was still holding onto her wrist and she wondered if he could feel her pulse jumping crazily beneath his fingers. His thumb stroked softly over it and she sucked in a breath at the slight contact. He must have heard her swift intake of breath because he immediately dropped her wrist. He took Roxi's leash back and turned towards his porch.

"Well I guess I better go," He said.

Carol licked her lips, torn between wanting this man and not knowing what the hell she wanted. Her heart was beating so fast and she knew she should just go for it, but instead she nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, it's getting late," She added.

Daryl cleared his throat, "I'll, uh, see ya 'round then?" He asked.

"Absolutely," Carol replied. "Goodnight, Daryl."

"Night."

* * *

Carol didn't look back as she crossed her lawn and unlocked her front door. She shut the door quickly and set her purse on the counter, leaning against it with her hands as she tried to catch her breath. She had forgotten what it was like to feel desire for someone because it had been so long. She had been a prisoner of her marriage, this house, her _life_. All of the time she had wasted being stuck in a never ending hell and when the potential for someone great had come along, she chickened out. She barked out a harsh laugh. It was probably too soon anyway. Ed had only been dead for one month and surely if she tried to start up a fling with the sexy neighbor, everyone would talk.

_Wait? A fling? She really was getting ahead of herself. And she was deluding herself if she thought that people didn't already talk. What a joke her life had been. _

She remembered a fortune cookie she had gotten once when Ed had splurged on Chinese takeout. It had simply said, _Carpe Diem. Seize the day. _She had stared at the words for hours, sure there was a hidden meaning behind them somewhere. Maybe it had been a sign to leave Ed, but she hadn't had the courage then and honestly if Ed hadn't died, she might still be stuck in a lifeless marriage even now. Those words had stuck with her though and she had carried the small slip of paper around in her purse for the longest time before she had managed to lose it somewhere. She didn't know why she had kept it, but for some reason the saying had been comforting to her in a way.

"Seize the day," Carol whispered.

She stood up straight and wiped the lingering stray tears from her eyes. Summoning her courage, she headed out of her front door and crossed the lawn that separated their houses in long strides. Daryl's porch light was on and she could see several lights on through the windows as she walked up his steps to his door. She lifted her hand to knock and then paused. She ran her hands through her short hair and bent over, taking in deep breaths.

_This is ridiculous,_ she thought.

She straightened again and lifted her hand once more to knock when the door was thrust open and she came face to face with a surprised Daryl. He looked around her, his eyes sweeping the yards before coming back to rest on her face.

"Ya alright?" He asked carefully.

Carol shook her head and grabbed his face, tugging him onto the porch as she walked backward. She pressed her lips to his before she could over think it and it was _beautiful_. At least, it was until she noticed that he wasn't kissing her back. She immediately began to pull away, but his hands came to land on her hips and he held her in place. He began to move his mouth against hers. He tasted of smoke and a hint of cinnamon from the funnel cake he had eaten at the car show earlier in the day. He tasted like _Heaven_. When their tongues finally touched Carol sighed into his mouth and twined her arms around his neck. His hands never strayed from her hips, but he did tighten his grip a little. He began to loosen up a little as they kissed and finally they both had to stop and pull away to get their breath.

Carol knew her face was red as they stood in front of each other under the single bulb of the porch light. His face was tinted red as well and neither of them spoke.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that," Carol said suddenly.

Seconds passed without him saying anything and Carol's anxiety increased tenfold. _Oh God, what was I thinking? _He hadn't even looked at her and she swallowed hard before turning to leave the porch. Daryl's hand closed over her wrist again gently and he tugged her backwards against him before closing his lips over hers again. The kiss was awkward and inexperienced between them, but it was hands down the best Carol had ever had. He didn't linger with the kiss though and several seconds later he pulled back.

"Sayin' ya sorry makes me think ya didn't enjoy it," He said gruffly.

Carol looked at him sharply, "I thought _you_ didn't enjoy it," She replied.

Daryl snorted and lit a cigarette before leaning against the porch railing. He took several draws before responding, "I enjoyed it."

Carol smiled, her anxiety lifting somewhat. She let out a deep breath and rubbed her sweaty palms against her jeans. She cleared her throat, "Well I guess I better get going," She said.

She headed down the porch steps and Daryl's voice stopped her as she passed by the front of the railing where he was looking out, "Ya wanna eat with us tomorrow?" He asked. "Me an' Rox," He clarified.

Carol smiled in the darkness, "Sure," She replied. She looked up at him, "I'll see you tomorrow then?"

Daryl nodded, "Yeah. Tomorrow."

Carol gave a little wave and this time when she went inside of her house, she burst out into a fit of giddy laughter. The action surprised her so much that she jumped slightly at herself. Carol was finally taking charge of her life again and it felt _good_.

* * *

_Reviews are wonderful and so are all of you lovely people. I don't even have the words to thank you properly. _

_Thank you._


	19. Chapter 19

_Sorry this has taken me so long to update. Work life has been getting in the way of me doing much of anything for pleasure. This one is also not as long and I've been slightly distracted so I hope that it doesn't show in my work badly. I appreciate all of the reviews as always and I'm still holding out hope that Daryl and Carol will have their moment on the show. Thanks for reading and please forgive any errors. It's been a long day here._

_**I do not own The Walking Dead or any of its characters._

* * *

Carol spent the next day cleaning the house again even though it really didn't need it. All she had been doing lately was cleaning and she really only did it to occupy her mind during the day. When she wasn't cleaning she tried to read, but a lot of time she found that she couldn't focus and she knew that today would be one of those days. Especially because her mind kept replaying that kiss over and over in her head like a movie. Neither of them had been drunk that time and Daryl had _definitely _kissed her back. She still couldn't believe it. She hummed to herself softly as she grabbed up a small box of Ed's things and took them out to the curb to set next to the trash can for trash pick up. As she was turning to head back into the house though she saw a police car pull into Daryl's driveway and she paused. She didn't want to be nosy, but she couldn't help but stare at the car as Rick Grimes exited from it.

He tipped his sheriff's hat at her in greeting before turning to head toward Daryl's front door. Carol swallowed over a lump in her throat. She tried to force her feet to move, but she was frozen in place, blatantly staring at the sheriff. She didn't know why she was nervous, but she couldn't help but feel that something was wrong with this situation. It just didn't _feel_ right. So she stood there and watched as Rick knocked on Daryl's door and after several minutes Daryl answered. He was wearing a pair of black jeans with a grey shirt and his hair was a little ruffled as if he hadn't been up very long. Carol glanced at her watch and saw that it was indeed still early. It was only a little after eight in the morning.

She couldn't hear what was being said, but Daryl crossed his arms and his expression changed to one of frustration as she watched. Rick gestured back to the driveway with his hands and then pulled a piece of paper from his jacket that he handed to Daryl. Daryl glanced at the paper and then back at Rick before saying something else to the man. Daryl disappeared inside of the house for a minute and then came back out with something that he handed over to Rick. Rick nodded at him and then she watched as he headed back to his car, nodding at her before pulling out of Daryl's driveway.

Carol jumped as Daryl slammed his front door and walked outside to lean against the porch railing and smoke. Knowing that it was none of her business, but not being able to help herself Carol walked over to join him on the porch. His eyes followed her as she climbed the steps to stand next to him.

"Everything okay?" She touched his arm gently as she asked.

He shook his head in frustration, "'Parently there's been an anonymous tip that I had somethin' ta do with Ed's death an' tha color of my truck closely resembles tha color of tha paint they found on Ed's car," He sighed. "They comin' ta tow my truck in tha mornin' an' run some tests."

Carol gasped as Daryl reached into his pocket for a cigarette and lit it. "But why would they think you had anything to do with it?" She asked.

Daryl shrugged, "Beats tha hell outta me. Ain't never had more 'an two or three interactions with tha man in my lifetime."

Carol could tell that he was very frustrated at the moment and she began to feel like the whole thing was partly her fault. Maybe if she hadn't spent so much time over at his place people wouldn't have started to suspect him. She didn't know what to do to help him. She didn't have a car and now Daryl wouldn't have his truck.

"I'm sorry," She blurted.

He glanced at her in surprise, "What tha hell for?"

Carol shrugged, "I don't know. I guess I just feel like I'm partly to blame because I'm married to Ed," She said.

"_Was_. An' it ain't yer fault," Daryl muttered.

Carol leaned in, not sure if she had heard him, "What?" She asked.

Daryl blew out a small cloud of smoke and crossed his legs as he leaned against the rail, "I said ya _was_ married to tha man. Ya ain't no more. You a free woman," He said.

Carol blushed, "You're right. I am. I don't know how I could forget that. Habit I suppose," She said quickly. She could feel the air between them growing thick with sexual tension and she swallowed a bit, trying to get herself under control. She cleared her throat, "How will you get to work?" She asked.

Daryl silently smoked his cigarette as his jaw worked back and forth with his thoughts. He pulled out his cellphone and dialed a number before turning to her, "I might have a way," He said quickly. "Hey Axel, it's Daryl," He said into the phone.

Carol could only hear his half of the conversation and she watched silently as he waited for this guy named Axel to quit talking before he spoke again. "Yeah listen, I need ta call in that favor," Daryl paused and smirked while he listened. "Now if possible," He said. He blew out a cloud of smoke and stubbed out his cigarette. "Sounds good. See ya in jus' a bit." He hung up the phone and looked back at Carol, "Ya busy?" He asked her.

She shook her head. She was never busy, "No," She replied.

"I need ya help with somethin' if ya don't mind," He said.

Carol nodded, "Sure."

* * *

Daryl pulled up at Axel's motorcycle shop and killed the engine in the truck before turning to Carol. "Maybe ya should wait here," He suggested. "This ain't tha best neighborhood and some o' tha characters that work 'ere ain't tha most proper o' people if'n ya get my drift."

Carol glanced out at the shop through the window and then nodded. He could tell she was a little apprehensive about the whole thing and he wanted to reassure her that everything was fine, but he didn't know how.

"Okay, I'll wait here," She agreed.

Daryl nodded once and hit the lock button as he climbed out of the truck. He headed over to the shop where a couple of men were busy working on bikes. They barely paid Daryl any attention as he walked up though one guy did glance at him curiously.

"Y'all know where I can find Axel?" Daryl asked.

One of the men grunted and gestured over at an office behind him. Before Daryl could approach it however, the door flew open and Axel stepped out. He was talking on a cell phone and when he saw Daryl he gestured to give him a minute while he finished up his conversation. Daryl glanced over to the truck at Carol and saw that she was peering around the place curiously, but she was staying put like he had asked. He really didn't want all of the men that Axel employed to be leering at her so he figured that was the safest place for her.

"Daryl!" Axel called in greeting as he finally ended his phone call and walked over to him.

Daryl shook his hand, "Been a long time," He commented.

Axel nodded, "Sure has. So you finally wantin' to collect on that favor, huh? Decided you want yourself a bike?"

Daryl shrugged, "Got some shit goin' down an' I'm gon' need myself a way back and forth ta work. Figure a bike's 'bout tha easiest way an' it's cheap on gas," He said.

Axel nodded in understanding, "Well I do owe you one for all that work you and your brother done for me. Not to mention keepin' quiet about some things that could have destroyed my business if ya know what I mean," He said.

Daryl did know what he meant. Several years ago before Merle had gotten himself sent to prison, they had done some work for Axel around his shop to help him out. It hadn't been anything illegal, just some mechanic work that needed completion. That was how they had figured out about the "other business" that Axel conducted when he wasn't busy with the bike business. Axel ran an illegal betting ring behind the scenes of his shop. The man appeared to spin a good profit from it too, but Daryl wasn't into anything illegal. Axel had promised them a favor, anything he and Merle wanted, if they kept it quiet. Daryl had never wanted to call in that favor until now. That was another reason Daryl didn't want Carol anywhere near the shop. The men that worked there were also skilled at recovering any monies due to Axel from bets lost or gone wrong. They weren't exactly people you wanted to be on the wrong end of a business deal gone bad with.

Carol didn't need to know any of this and not because he thought he couldn't trust her, but because he didn't want her associated with it in any way. He just needed her here to follow him back to his place in the truck. Hopefully she wouldn't ask for many explanations. Daryl followed Axel out front to check out 3 bikes that were sitting there. Their chrome gleamed and twinkled in the sunlight as Daryl studied them. He was scared to ask how much they cost, but if these were the ones Axel felt comfortable giving him, then he wasn't going to question it.

One in particular caught his eye and he walked over to kneel beside it, whistling softly. He ran his hand lightly over the seat, "She's a beauty," He commented.

Axel smiled and nodded, "That she is. One of my favorites. Triumph Adventurer nine hundred. Chrome plated engine covers on 'er too. She rides real smooth and she can seat two," Axel lifted his eyebrows at Daryl, but Daryl chose to ignore the gesture. He wasn't getting the bike for pleasure, or at least he hadn't _intended _on getting it for that reason. Looking at it now though, he was wondering if he would even miss his truck while it was gone.

"I'll take it," Daryl said and Axel grinned.

"I'll get the paperwork. After that, she's all yours."

"Sounds good ta me," Daryl replied and they shook hands to seal the deal.

* * *

_Reviews are like a fine wine and I love to drink._


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